Tempe school employee allegedly used security cameras to watch students in changing room

An East Valley high school employee was arrested Saturday for allegedly using the campus security camera system to watch and download videos of female students while they changed clothes.

The Tempe Police Department took Antony Nikai Cruz into custody at his home in south Phoenix and booked him into jail on seven counts of voyeurism, a Class 5 felony.

Cruz is accused of accessing a surveillance camera and footage from a room at Corona del Sol High School that students were using to change their clothes while the girls’ locker room was closed for renovations.

The cameras in the room were left running inadvertently, according to court documents. The Tempe Union High School District said its schools do not have security cameras in their lockers or other rooms that are designated changing areas or in any classrooms.

The video misuse was discovered by a security supervisor who audited Cruz’s security system activity. The supervisor alerted police on Friday, and police detained Cruz that day before booking him into jail on Saturday. His bond was set at $100,000.

The camera system’s download history indicated that several videos had been exported via external devices such as thumb drives. Additionally, the audit found that the system’s cloud storage was accessed through an IP address believed to be from Cruz’s home, according to the probable cause statement for his arrest.

After he was read his rights, Cruz allegedly admitted to watching the camera footage and downloading videos. He denied selling or trading the material.

How did Tempe Union respond to Corona del Sol incident?

Tempe Union said Cruz was placed on administrative leave before the workday began Friday. The district did not reveal Cruz’s job title beyond saying he is not a teacher.

Superintendent Stacia Wilson sent messages to Corona del Sol families over the weekend to inform them about the case. She also sent a message to families from other Tempe Union schools letting them know that the impact was limited to Corona del Sol.

Here is the full text of a statement sent to families on Sunday:

As you know from my prior message, yesterday we were notified that a Tempe Union employee was detained and questioned by Tempe PD. This employee has now been booked on seven counts of voyeurism. We know that this is a distressing situation and these details are unsettling to our families. We want to be as transparent as we are allowed to be without disrupting Tempe PD’s investigation.

We are now able to share with you that the incidents leading to these charges affected Corona del Sol. As of right now, we believe that the inappropriate usage of security footage was isolated to one camera on campus.

We are working closely and in full cooperation with Tempe PD as they continue to investigate and identify victims. Tempe PD detectives will be on campus tomorrow to work with administration to identify the victims. Once victims have been identified, Tempe PD will reach out directly to affected families to begin the interview process.

Our school and District crisis teams will be in place tomorrow to provide support and resources to affected students.

The investigation remains ongoing. As soon as we can share additional details, we will do so.

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