YORK, S.C. — An employee at York Intermediate School is accused of putting a small video camera in a restroom inside a classroom.
Jonathan Lamont King, 44, is charged with two counts of voyeurism and one count of first-degree exploitation of a minor.
(Jonathan King)
A student found the camera and notified a York School District employee in November, and the employee told the student he would make the school administration aware of the situation, according to police.
The parent of the student told officers that when she didn’t hear anything from school administrators for a few days, she decided to contact police.
York police detectives contacted the York Intermediate School administration who said they were unaware of the incident.
Detectives and school administrators worked together and discovered that King was the employee the student went to and first alerted him about the camera.
Tim Cooper, the spokesman for the school, said King was immediately put on leave when police began investigating. After that, King resigned.
"He since resigned from the district and we also have a no trespassing order on the employee as well,” Cooper said. “We had no idea ... that this had occurred."
School officials said King worked for the district for nine years and was an in-school suspension monitor.
King is accused of taping a camera the size of a flash drive to a bathroom sink pointed at the toilet of a small unisex bathroom used by fifth and sixth graders.
"I'm glad that whatever child did find it, I'm glad that they did turn it in,” said Kristi Johnson, who has a daughter attending the school.
A computer was seized from King at the school for forensic analysis. After a thorough analysis of the computer, warrants were issued for King.
King turned himself into the York Police Department on Wednesday.
"Some deleted images of an unknown juvenile using the restroom in that same bathroom” were found, detective Kevin Hoffman said.
The case is still under investigation.
Channel 9 went to King’s home. He didn’t not answer the door, but was spotted looking out from a window.
"I just can't even imagine, to be able to have that mindset, for a fifth and sixth grader? That's terrible,” parent Jeannie Good said.
Police don't know how long the camera was in the bathroom, but it could have been running for hours or days.
Detectives are contacting the attorney general and will work with the internet crimes against children task force to see if any images were shared online or if any other charges could be filed.
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