Man Charged After Alleged Privacy Violation at Bloomington Hotel
Hennepin County Jail Booking Photo
Published: August 24th, 2026
BLOOMINGTON MN: A 31-year-old man has been charged with a gross misdemeanor after authorities allege he used his cellphone to record women without their consent at a Bloomington hotel early Sunday morning.
Michael Hernandez is charged in Hennepin County District Court with one count of interference with privacy involving the use of a device to photograph or record intimate areas, according to a criminal complaint.
According to the complaint, Bloomington police were called to a hotel on Normandale Boulevard at approximately 3:01 a.m. on Aug. 23 after receiving a report of an invasion of privacy involving several female guests.
Hotel security told police they had received complaints about Hernandez's behavior in an arcade area and allegedly observed him standing unusually close to women while holding a cellphone.
One security employee told police the angle of Hernandez's phone appeared consistent with an attempt to record underneath a woman's clothing, according to the complaint.
Two adult women also reported encounters with Hernandez. One told police she noticed him standing extremely close to her, while another reported feeling something brush against her leg, the complaint states.
Security personnel confronted Hernandez and brought him to a security office. According to the complaint, Hernandez allegedly acknowledged having a problem and referenced a "blog."
The complaint states that some material on the phone was initially deleted at the request of the women involved before security learned they wanted police contacted. Security then stopped deleting material.
Another person who identified himself as a friend of Hernandez allegedly told police that Hernandez had engaged in similar behavior previously, according to the probable cause statement.
Hernandez was arrested, and a Bloomington detective later obtained a search warrant for his cellphone. Authorities said the device will be processed for potential evidence.
The gross misdemeanor charge carries a maximum possible sentence of one year in jail and/or a $3,000 fine.
The allegations contained in the criminal complaint have not been proven in court. Hernandez is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.