The facts
Eric James, 53, principal of Brooke High School in Wellsburg, West Virginia, was arrested after hidden recording devices were found in girls' changing areas. Brooke County Sheriff Rich Beatty said four devices were taken from three places: the girls physical education locker room, the girls varsity locker room, and a dance-team changing area. Deputies and state police detained James at the school on Wednesday, September 2, after students had gone home, while a search warrant was executed.
Civil complaints filed in Brooke Circuit Court, first on September 3, allege James installed cameras to record female students undressing, showering, and using the restroom. One Jane Doe said the locker room was often locked, James waited at the door, let her in, and then disappeared. The suit says, on information and belief, he left to watch a livestream. Another student from John Marshall High said she used the Brooke locker room on an away day and believes she was recorded. Lawyers said more suits were coming. A potential class action followed.
James was suspended. He was booked into Northern Regional Jail on $100,000 bond. He had not entered a plea. The criminal investigation is ongoing. He has been Brooke High's principal since June 2023.
Our take
The man with the keys stood at the door like a doorman, then went to watch children change. That is the job he gave himself.
Do not turn the girls into the bit. They went to gym. He brought the pens and the key fobs. If a security guard finds four cameras in the locker room, the school was not "shocked." It was late.
A principal is supposed to be the adult. This one is a pervert with a livestream and a bond. West Virginia can keep the rest of the adjectives. The door, the wait, the disappearing act. That is the whole crime in English.
