A man guilty of recording women in dressing rooms last year will be spend time in jail thanks to the actions of one of his victims. CBS Colorado spoke to the woman who caught the suspect, who on her own was able to hold him for police and ultimately hold him accountable. She shared her journey as an advocate for her fellow victims, which she explained has also led to personal growth for herself over the past year. 

Paul Gonzalez was sentenced to 60 days in the Jefferson County jail after he was found guilty of filming multiple women without their knowledge in a dressing room at a Nordstrom Rack in Lakewood back in May 2024. 

The 19-year-old suspect was ultimately caught by Michelle Chandler, who spoke to CBS Colorado about her experience. Gonzalez and Chandler went viral when she caught him filming her, and a recording showed her stopping him from fleeing in time for his arrest. 

“I had a lot of anger I have had to work through,” Chandler told CBS Colorado. “It was like all of this rage … You can’t do this to me.” 

Chandler spoke at Gonzalez’s sentencing Wednesday. She said she waived her victim compensation and hopes Gonzales will use the money to get the help he needs. Under a plea agreement, Gonzalez was found guilty of invasion of privacy for sexual gratification. 

The day before sentencing, Chandler was taking a self-defense class at Gracie Jiu Jitsu Aurora. She never thought self-defense classes would be a part of her weekly routine. She also never thought she’d catch a man filming her without her knowledge.

It was the day before Mother’s Day last year when Chandler, a mother of five, visited the Nordstrom Rack in search of a Mother’s Day outfit. Instead, she found Gonzales filming her from the changing room next-door. 

“I bent down and looked underneath the stall to make sure what I was seeing was correct, and he was still squatted down. He had his pants at his thighs,” Chandler explained. 

Michelle grabbed the culprit as he tried to escape, which bystanders recorded on their phones at the scene. Two employees also intervened and initially helped to hold Gonzalez from escaping.

“He started trying to take off,” Chandler said. “There was a fight.”

Chandler had help until, she says, managers told the employees to let the suspect go, leaving her alone to restrain the man who violated her privacy. 

“I looked at them, and I said, ‘You let people get away for shoplifting. What’s next? Where does this end?” Chandler explained. 

Nordstrom did not respond to questions from CBS Colorado, but its “Customer Bill of Rights” online says, “Nordstrom requires its employees to respect the basic civil and legal rights of any person suspected of shoplifting or other crime committed on store property.”

Investigators later confirmed three additional women were recorded that day, including a victim who was fully unclothed. However, Chandler says Lakewood Police Department never pursued their identities. In the criminal case against Gonzales, those three women are listed as “Jane Doe.”

“I was told, ‘If this had happened to you and you had not known, would you want to know?,’” Chandler shared. “Suddenly, every woman would wonder, ‘Is it me?’ And it could cause panic and a sizable number of people trying to contact like flooding Lakewood PD. Will they get peace or closure? There’s two sides to every coin.”

In a statement, Lakewood PD told CBS Colorado, “If we were able to identify these women, we absolutely would. Unfortunately in this case, we were unable to identify who they were.”

Still, Chandler wants to be an advocate for those women.

“I want all women and girls to be protected. I also feel like I am the only voice for three other women that have no idea,” Chandler said. 

Nordstrom Rack in Lakewood has since changed its dressing rooms, so the partition walls now touch the floor. Chandler believes all companies need to put public safety first and construct their fitting rooms accordingly.  

A year later, Chandler gained a strength she says she didn’t know was possible.

“I would not take back what I’ve been through for who I am today, the resilience, the strength, the interchange in me and the confidence that I have,” Chandler said. “I just feel like I have my strength and my dignity back.”

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) -11 News is learning more about a lawsuit filed by School District 49 against state leaders and CHSAA. The superintendent says they want to know if a new policy they have on the books is legal. The school board voted and adopted that policy at the beginning of the month. It classifies its sports teams by biological sex and aims to protect women in sports. It prohibits biological men from competing on women’s teams and vice versa.

“Rather than being a recipient of potential penalties or legal action, we filed a lawsuit as a pre-enforcement action to make certain that we can protect opportunities for girls, protect privacy for girls and boys, and make sure we are shielding the district from any legal liability,” said Peter Hilts, Superintendent at District 49.

The 29-page lawsuit was filed Friday. It names the Colorado Civil Rights Division, the Colorado Attorney General and the Colorado High School Activities Association. It details that the state’s polices go against the federal standard, Title IX.

In February, President Donald Trump signed an executive order re-enforcing that law with this message to schools across the country:

“We’re putting every school receiving taxpayer dollars on notice that if you let men take over women’s sports teams or invade your locker rooms,  you will be investigated for violations of Title IX and riskier federal funding,” said the president.

D49′s lawsuit states that current law under Colorado’s Anti-discrimination Act would require the district to allow boys to play in girls sports and to share locker rooms, found in Colorado Revised Statue 24-34-601.

11 News reached out to the state’s civil rights commission who referred us to Attorney General Phil Weiser. His offices said:

“Attorney General Weiser is committed to defending Colorado’s antidiscrimination laws. The office has no further comment due to pending litigation.”

We also reached out to CHSAA. A spokesperson said they have not yet received any official notice of legal action.

D-49 is asking for a change to CHSAA bylaws and state law that allow districts to make their own decision.

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