Ceres man federally indicted for cyberstalking Airbnb guest in his mom’s home
A 49-year-old man who lives with his mom in Ceres has been indicted for cyberstalking a woman who rented a room at the mother’s Ceres home through Airbnb.
Kevin James Strutz allegedly sent the victim multiple vulgar and increasingly aggressive messages on Facebook from February to June, according to a criminal complaint.
The last message included a nude photo of the victim that was taken from a hidden camera inside the bathroom of the home on Soda Canyon Drive, where the victim stayed for about a month. Strutz allegedly threatened to send the photo to the victim’s contacts if she did not send him a sexually explicit video.
The FBI, which investigated the case, believes there could be other victims.
Strutz’s federal defender referred The Bee to his supervisor for comment. The supervisor did not immediately respond to The Bee Friday morning.
The victim began staying at the home in January when she came to the area as a traveling health care worker, according to the complaint.
On Feb. 15, she went into the bathroom and found a smartphone on the back of the toilet with a long text message that had been drafted but not sent or addressed to anyone.
The message appeared to be about the victim and was sexual in nature.
The victim contacted an Airbnb representative, who got her a hotel room for the night and then relocated her to another home.
“We have no tolerance for the reported behavior and worked quickly to support the survivor once she brought it to our attention, including banning the associated host accounts from our platform at the time,” reads a statement from an Airbnb spokesperson. “We assisted the FBI in their investigation and hope justice is appropriately served.”
The following month, the victim saw a message on Facebook from an account associated with Strutz that was sent a few days after she left his mother’s home, according to the complaint.
In the first Facebook message, he tried to explain that the text she saw on the phone in the bathroom was a misunderstanding and expressed regret that it affected his mother’s hosting status with Airbnb.
But the victim received several more messages from another account associated with Strutz over the next few months that described sexual acts he wanted to engage in with her, according to the complaint. The last message in June contained the nude photo and threat.
FBI searched Airbnb home in Ceres
At about 6 a.m. Nov. 12, the FBI, with the assistance of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s SWAT team, served a search warrant at the Ceres home in the 3400 block of Soda Canyon Drive.
When authorities knocked on the door and announced their presence, Strutz opened the door a crack, asked why they were there, then slammed the door when he was told they had a warrant to search the home, according to the complaint.
“Strutz proceeded to barricade himself in the attic of the home,” the complaint reads. “After approximately two and a half hours of searching and asking Strutz to exit the attic, officers entered the attic, detained Strutz, and he then exited the residence without any further incident.”
Authorities collected evidence and interviewed Strutz.
He told them he started messaging the victim because he was angry that her complaint to Airbnb about him caused his mother to lose her host status with the company.
Strutz also admitted using a cell phone, placed surreptitiously in the bathroom to record her, and sending the nude photo to her.
He said the messages he sent were meant to “demean” her.
“He said he has messed with many other people on the internet in the past and said other people do it all the time,” according to the complaint.
According to the complaint, Strutz has a criminal history that includes stalking, violating court orders to prevent domestic violence, robbery, and assault with a deadly weapon. He also has a restraining order against him by an ex-girlfriend.
Strutz was indicted by a federal grand jury Thursday on one count of cyberstalking.
During a detention hearing on Friday, a judge found that Strutz poses a danger to society and no conditions of his release could ensure the safety of the community, said Lauren Horwood, a US Attorney’s Office spokesperson.
He remains in custody in Fresno, where the federal courthouse is located.
Authorities ask anyone with additional information or who believes that they might be a victim to contact the FBI at tips.fbi.gov.
If convicted, Strutz faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
This story was originally published November 20, 2020 at 10:49 AM.
