Glendale teacher accused of recording students while they were changing clothes | Crime Files
GLENDALE, Ariz. - Glendale Police officials have released court documents surrounding a case involving a teacher who is being accused of secretly recording his students.
The teacher, according to investigators, is being accused of committing multiple criminal offenses.
Here are the details in the case.
Who's the suspect?
Court documents identified the suspect as 53-year-old Estevan Carreon.
Carreon was identified by investigators as a teacher for Independence High School, which belongs to the Glendale Union High School District.
As of March 26, the school's website still listed Carreon as a film and television teacher.
What happened?
The incident, investigators say, happened on the morning of March 18.
According to court documents, Carreon arranged a meeting during spring break with his students in regard to a school media project.
"While the students were working and recording their school media project, they would change in and out of different outfits for their projects. They would use the ‘Changing Room’ to get undressed and dressed," read a portion of the court documents.
Per investigators, two male students were in the changing room when one of them noticed a charger that was plugged into an outlet.
"The student looked at the charger and noticed a hidden spy camera built into the device," read a portion of the court documents. "The male student removed the hidden spy camera and showed it to the other male student."
One of the students, police say, hid the camera on their person, and the two male students later told other female students in the group. The students later found more hidden cameras in the room.
Eventually, investigators say Carreon noticed that the charger with the hidden camera was no longer plugged in, and accused the students of taking things that belonged to the janitor.
"The students told [Carreon] they did not have it. [Carreon] started to panic and told them he could go to jail for a long time if they did not return the item," read a portion of the court documents. "None of the students would return the missing power charger spy camera after [Carreon] repeatedly asked."
Carreon, according to police, later pulled each student aside, one by one, and told them to turn out their pockets in a search for the camera. Carreon also went into the students' backpacks to search for the item, along with the SD card. Eventually, however, the camera managed to leave school grounds with one of the students, who notified their parents.
Investigators say they later recovered the camera, and got a search warrant for the contents stored in the SD card. The SD card contained multiple videos, with some of the video showing female students in various states of undress, including one video where a student was seen with her private parts exposed.
According to police, the students seen in the videos were between the age of 15 and 17.
Court documents also state that contents recovered from an SD card that was found at the school also showed similar video. In one of the videos, Carreon was also seen setting up and removing the camera from the changing room.
Per court documents, Carreon was arrested on March 25.
What is the suspect accused of?
Court documents state the suspect is being accused of a number of criminal offenses, including four counts of voyeurism (A.R.S. 13-1424A), four counts of surreptitious recording (A.R.S. 13-3019A1), and one count of sexual exploitation of a minor (A.R.S. 13-3553A1)
Bail is reportedly set at $50,000.
What are school officials saying about this?
Estevan Carreon (Courtesy: Glendale Police)
Officials with the Glendale Unified School District have released a statement that reads:
"We are actively working with the Glendale Police Department regarding this matter. In accordance with policy, Glendale Union High School District cannot provide details regarding personnel matters; however, we can confirm that the teacher has been placed on administrative leave pending further action, has been relieved of all duties and has been arrested. We are unable to provide any additional comments on this matter."
School officials have also sent a letter to parents, which reads:
"We are writing to let you know that allegations of misconduct by a teacher were reported to the school administration of Independence High School. We immediately began working with the Glendale Police Department and placed the employee on leave pending further action, and the employee was relieved of all duties."
"The district emphasizes the importance of student safety and enforces a comprehensive background check for all employees, which includes fingerprint clearance and a third-party background check. The fingerprints are reviewed by the AZ Department of Public Safety and the FBI.
As mentioned, the district collaborates with local law enforcement to thoroughly investigate allegations of misconduct. In this instance, the administration worked alongside the Glendale Police Department, which has since made an arrest related to the allegations. Furthermore, the Glendale Police Department is in the process of notifying parents of the alleged victims.
Although the Glendale Union High School District and the school are unable to disclose any details on personnel issues and will not be able to provide additional comments on this matter, we remain dedicated to supporting our students. It is understood that during such times the need for additional support among young people can increase. Please know that our school’s administration and the IHS Social Worker are ready to extend the necessary support, resources and assistance to both students and parents. Should you need more information on available supports, please do not hesitate to contact us at 623-435-6100."