A West Virginia high school principal is facing criminal charges after investigators say he planted four hidden cameras in areas used by female students, including the girls’ locker room and a room where the school’s dance team changes.
Eric James, 53, the principal of Brooke High School in Wellsburg, West Virginia, was charged with one count of intentionally intercepting electronic communications and two counts of breaking and entering a non-residence, according to the Brooke County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators say James admitted to police that he placed the devices himself. Deputies recovered four cameras in total: two in the girls’ locker room, one of them built into what appeared to be a key fob, and two more in a separate room used by the school’s dance team to change.
The Brooke County Sheriff’s Office has not detailed how long the cameras had been in place or how the discovery was first made. School and district officials have since met with parents of students who may have been recorded, though authorities say the investigation remains active and additional details could still emerge.
James is being held at Northern Regional Jail on a $100,000 bond. He has not entered a plea, and no court date has been publicly scheduled as of this report.
What comes next
Brooke County Schools has not said whether James has been formally removed from his position pending the outcome of the case, though it would be standard practice for a district to place an employee facing charges of this nature on leave. The Sheriff’s Office says its investigation is ongoing, and additional charges are possible depending on what investigators find during further review of the recovered devices.
Because the allegations involve minors, authorities have generally declined to release additional identifying details about the students involved, and no further information about the scope of the recordings has been made public.
