Attorney says teen could face 20 years for allegedly recording teacher in bathroom, posting it online
WALLED LAKE, Mich. (FOX 2) - A Walled Lake Central student is accused of recording his teacher's bathroom break when she mistakenly left her webcam on. But he didn't stop there.
Walled Lake Central student could face charges for recording teacher in bathroom, sharing it online
We're told the female teacher was in a Zoom class when she had to go the bathroom. It was in view of the camera, which she thought was off. That's when the student grabbed his phone to record it all to share.
The 15-year-old student is accused of recording his teacher using the bathroom during virtual class, then posting the video on social media.
"An underage teenager doesn't have a fully developed brain," said attorney James Galen. "A young man like this could face some real serious charges."
Galen, a prominent defense attorney, has handled these types of cases but is not involved in this investigation.
"Using a computer to commit a crime could be up to 20 years in prison depending on the underlying crime," Galen said. "That's a serious, substantial penalty that a lot of people aren't aware of."
We're told the female teacher was in a Zoom class when she had to go the bathroom. It was in view of the camera, which she thought was off. That's when the student grabbed his phone to record it all to share.
"That's the problem with cameras everywhere, you never know who's watching and when they're watching," Galen said.
Walled Lake Consolidated Schools sent similar letters to parents, staff, and FOX 2 saying in part, "Both staff and students made choices that compromised social integrity."
Investigators say the teacher is not being looked at criminally, but the teen is - and could be charged for using a computer to commit a crime and/or making an unlawful posting.
"Because he is a young man, hopefully, the prosecutor will take that into consideration and look at the whole spectrum of what took place and make the appropriate call," Galen said.