High school employee faces new charges as secret recording case expands

A Maryland high school employee accused of secretly recording female students in a school locker room will face additional criminal charges after investigators identified eight more victims during an expanded investigation, authorities said.

James Mulhern III, an employee of Walter Johnson High School in Montgomery County, now faces 12 counts of solicitation of a minor after investigators say newly recovered videos show a total of 12 female students in various stages of undressing.

According to Montgomery County police, the investigation began after two students found a video camera in the control booth of the Walter Johnson High School theater on April 7.

One of the students examined the memory card and found videos recorded in the girls’ locker room before alerting school administrators.

LOUDOUN COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT’S ALLEGATION THAT HE RECORDED STUDENTS IN THE BATHROOM WAS INVESTIGATED

Police said the footage showed an adult male placing the camera in the room before leaving. The school principal identified the man as Mulhern, a media services technician at the school.

Detectives executed search warrants at the high school and Mulhern’s home in Clarksburg, where they seized items of evidentiary value and seized several electronic devices, according to police.

Evidence obtained during the investigation led detectives to identify eight more victim allegations and videos dating back to 2015, expanding the case of four victims identified when Mulhern was first charged in April, authorities said.

CALIFORNIA TEACHER SAMANTHA WATSON WAS ARRESTED FOR ALLEGED SEXUAL CONDUCT WITH A CHARTER SCHOOL STUDENT

Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda, Maryland, where authorities say employee James Mulhern III is accused of secretly recording female students in the theater locker room. (Google Maps)

Mulhern appeared in court Wednesday on additional charges. A judge ordered his release on $100,000 unsecured personal recognizance, with the condition that he stay away from Walter Johnson High School, have no contact with minors and have only supervised contact with his 4-year-old son.

Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy said newly uncovered evidence has increased prosecutors’ concerns about the case.

Aerial view of Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda, Maryland, where investigators say James Mulhern III worked as a media services technician. (Google Maps)

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Under Maryland law, each crime of abuse of a minor carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison. Mulhern could face up to 300 years in prison if convicted of all 12 charges.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office for additional comment.