School Treats Secret Video Of Girls As More Than Prank Student Counseling Planned After Boy’s Tape Of Locker Room Uncovered In Wilbur

A 16-year-old Wilbur, Wash., student’s secret videotapings of girls in the locker room won’t be dismissed as a “boys will be boys” prank, school district officials said Thursday.

Students, parents and teachers are enraged over the crime and counseling sessions have been set up at the school, said Les Portner, superintendent of the Wilbur School District in Lincoln County.

“There’s a lot of anger and hurt feelings,” Portner said. “There are questions of trust and integrity and right now that’s our focus.”

Portner said the student videotaped members of the girls basketball team on more than one occasion last year, using a remote control device to activate a camera.

One of the players found out about the tapings last week and confronted the boy, school and police officials said. He refused to give her the tapes and authorities were called.

The student has been suspended from school until a criminal investigation can be completed.

Officials believe he was making the tapes to share or sell to friends, but have ruled out the possibility that adults were involved. Several other male students also are being investigated, Portner said.

The 16-year-old may have videotaped more girls in a bathroom at his house while they changed in and out of their bathing suits for a pool party, police and school officials said.

It is unclear how many girls were videotaped, but Portner said it’s likely they all are Wilbur School students.

The secret videotaping hasn’t recurred this school year, Portner said. “They happened during the basketball season last year.”

During the season, four games are played in one night, with the visitors using one locker room and Wilbur players using the other. The girls and boys junior varsity and varsity teams take turns in the rooms.

Officials said the 16-year-old put the camera in a gym bag and left it in the locker room. A hole was cut out of the bag and a mesh screen was taped over the opening. He could start recording by using a remote control device outside, officials said.

Throughout the day Thursday, Lincoln County sheriff’s officials said their department was not handling the case and referred questions to either the Washington State Patrol or Wilbur Police Department.

Officials with both of those agencies, however, insisted the sheriff’s department was in charge.

Sheriff’s Detective Stan Reider finally said his office is, in fact, investigating the case, but he declined to comment.

, DataTimes