Former dance and music school employee in Hermosa Beach sentenced in hidden camera case

LOS ANGELES — A Torrance man who was arrested after hidden cameras were found at a dance and music school in Hermosa Beach where he had worked was ordered to register as a sex offender for life after pleading no contest Thursday to two criminal charges.

Jourdyn Alexander Godoy, now 26, pleaded no contest to one felony count of possession of child pornography and one misdemeanor count of invasion of privacy.

Along with the lifetime sex offender registration requirement, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Francis Bennett II ordered Godoy to complete 52 sex offender classes, perform 30 days of community labor and serve two years on probation.

Godoy was given credit for about a week he had already served in jail following his arrest last June by Hermosa Beach police before he was released on $55,000 bond.

One remaining count — a misdemeanor charge of child annoyance — was dismissed as a result of his plea.

Hermosa Beach police said last year that “hidden cameras” were located after they responded May 3 to the School of Dance and Music, which had students ranging in age from 2 to 18 years old.

A parent discovered a hidden camera in the studio’s changing room, and police subsequently found video cameras hidden in the studio’s bathroom and changing room, according to a statement released last year by the District Attorney’s Office.

Police subsequently served a search warrant at Godoy’s residence, where they recovered potential evidence and took him into custody, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

Godoy was described as a former school employee who had worked as a front-desk receptionist.