ADAIRSVILLE, Ga. — Police are investigating a high school student accused of leaving his cellphone in a girls’ locker room and capturing images of as many as 50 students.
The Adairsville High School student could face criminal charges, according to officers.
After looking at the phone, school officials immediately alerted 50 families about what happened and met with them at the high school.
One parent told Channel 2’s Richard Elliot that the unnamed student made a very bad decision.
“You're talking about someone who's made a decision to do something probably full knowing that it isn't right and hoping he wouldn't get caught,” said parent Walter Pittman, who says his daughter’s image was on the cellphone.
Pittman says school officials alerted him the same day they found the phone. He praised them for their quick actions suspending the student.
“I live in a world that bad things happen to good people. I think it could have been much worse. My daughter's safe. They're taking care of it. I don't know what more I could expect,” he said.
Many students were outraged by the allegations.
“I can't even imagine being on it, and I know my parents would be raising some cane if I was in it,” said senior Hannah Knapp.
She says some of her friends were on the phone.
“I'm glad that they're taking action to see like who's on it, talking to the parents, things like that,” Knapp said.
School officials say they found the student's phone in the bathroom but once they started looking at it, they say evidence showed that it had also been in the girls’ locker room.
They are not identifying the student, who has been suspended, but school police could still file criminal charges after they finish a forensic analysis of his phone.
Knapp says she thinks that's OK.
“Definitely. I think it's ridiculous that the video was even in there,” she said.
District officials say so far, the phone does not appear to have any nude photos.
Students who know the teen say they were shocked at his actions.
“Why would he do that? He doesn’t even seem like the person to do that,” 10th-grader Brooke Wells said. “Some kids were really mad, like some of the guys were mad at him. They wondered why he would do something like that. They were calling him disgusting.”
In a written statement, Bartow County school superintendent Dr. John Harper said, “We will not hesitate to do whatever is necessary to protect our students and send a clear message that this kind of action is completely inappropriate."