A school principal in West Virginia has been accused of setting up cameras in multiple girls’ locker rooms and watching the victims undress on a livestream, according to a new lawsuit.
One week after he was arrested and charged for the alleged crimes, Eric James is being sued by 11 students at multiple schools. James, 53, has been accused of installing four hidden cameras in locker rooms and changing areas while he worked as the principal at Brooke High School in Wellsburg, in the state’s Northern Panhandle, per a criminal complaint viewed by the Daily Mail.
James was booked on charges including intentionally intercepting electronic communications (wiretapping statute violation) and breaking and entering a non-residence, according to the Brooke County Sheriff’s Office.
A class action lawsuit was filed last week on behalf of eight students, while additional three students filed civil complaints against him over several allegations made against him.
One student, who played on the soccer team at another school James worked at, claimed that he “would wait for her at the locker room door, let her in, and then disappear,” per the complaint. She said she believed James was “disappearing to go view the live camera footage” while she changed.
Another student who attended John Marshall High School in Glen Dale, West Virginia, said she used the changing rooms at Brooke High School during an away day.
“Upon information and belief, Eric James would view the live camera footage while [the girl] was in the locker room,” the complaint said.
The allegations continued with another Brooke High student claiming that she “reasonably believes” James captured her on one of the alleged secret cameras while she was changing at the school.
One of the complaints noted that students “made reports or complaints concerning James’s conduct” while he worked as a gym teacher at Cameron High in Cameron, West Virginia, between 2000 and 2018.
All three civil lawsuits and the class action lawsuit against James have asked for monetary damages to be determined by a jury, per the outlet.
“The resulting invasion of the bodily privacy of Plaintiffs and other students was not momentary. Every day that the devices remained concealed and operational exposed children to additional secret observation and recording,” the class action lawsuit read.
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James was suspended from his job earlier in September and remains in custody at Northern Regional Jail. He is being held on a $100,000 bond with an upcoming court appearance scheduled to take place on Wednesday, September 16.
He has not yet entered a plea, according to court records, and the criminal investigation into his case continues. An attorney for James was not immediately available to contact for a comment on the arrest or the lawsuits.
Parents, teachers, and guardians interested in learning more about protecting children from exploitation can find useful tools and information at Know2Protect.
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