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ARIZONA EDUCATION NEWS

District says police are still trying to identify victims in Corona del Sol voyeurism case

"We recognize that this is a significant and concerning change from the information families received last week," Tempe Union High School District Superintendent Stacia Wilson wrote.

Tempe Union High School District officials said Monday that police are still trying to identify vic...

Tempe Union High School District officials said Monday that police are still trying to identify victims in the Corona del Sol voyeurism case. (Tempe Union High School District photo via Facebook)

(Tempe Union High School District photo via Facebook)

Contrary to what families were told last week, police are still trying to identify victims in the Corona del Sol High School voyeurism case, district officials said Monday.

On Thursday, Tempe Union High School District Superintendent Stacia Wilson sent families a message that said all victims had been identified and contacted by the Tempe Police Department.

“As the investigation has progressed, Tempe PD now believes that additional students may be identified as victims,” Wilson told families in a message Monday. “We recognize that this is a significant and concerning change from the information families received last week. We also understand how upsetting it may be for families who felt reassured by our previous communication.”

The district has been making crisis teams available to students seeking support since the voyeurism allegations against Antony Nikai Cruz were first reported.

Background on Corona del Sol voyeurism case

Cruz was booked into jail Aug. 22 on seven counts of voyeurism, a Class 5 felony. His bond was set at $100,000.

Officials have declined to identify Cruz’s position with the district other than to say he is not a teacher. He was placed on administrative leave the morning before he was arrested.

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

The video misuse was discovered by a supervisor who audited Cruz’s security system activity and then notified police.

After police read Cruz his rights, he admitted to watching the camera footage and downloading videos, according to a police account submitted to court. He denied selling or trading the material.

The dance room was never intended to be a changing area, the district said. A camera was installed there for security purposes in 2024.

The district said it is investigating how the decision was made to use the room for changing.

What the district is telling Corona del Sol families

Here is the full text of the message Wilson sent to the Corona del Sol community Monday:

Based on information provided by the Tempe Police Department last week, we shared with you on Thursday that investigators had identified and contacted all students believed at that time to be victims. As the investigation has progressed, Tempe PD now believes that additional students may be identified as victims.

We recognize that this is a significant and concerning change from the information families received last week. We also understand how upsetting it may be for families who felt reassured by our previous communication.

Tempe PD plans to work with school leadership as they continue their investigation. Once affected students have been identified, Tempe PD will reach out directly to families to begin the interview process.

Additionally, Tempe PD has asked families to refrain from reaching out to them directly, as responding to individual inquiries can take investigators away from this work.

Our hearts remain with the students who have been affected and their families as they process what has happened. We remain committed to supporting them, protecting their privacy, and cooperating fully with law enforcement throughout this investigation.

Kevin Stone KTAR.com Senior Editor

Kevin Stone is KTAR's Senior Web Content Editor. He is a seasoned journalist who was born in New York and grew up in Phoenix. He got his start doing agate for the Mesa Tribune sports section in the 1990s while completing his print journalism degree.… Read more

Comments

1 Comments

K
KD'S Burner 9 hours ago

I don't know what is worse at TUHSD, the joke of a board or the do nothing superintendent. They should all be losing their jobs!!