Authorities say four recording devices were found in girls’ changing areas at Brooke High School, prompting criminal and civil investigations.
WELLSBURG, W.Va. — Brooke High School Principal Eric Michael James has been suspended and charged with felonies after investigators found four recording devices in areas where female students changed clothes, according to law enforcement, court records and the school district.
The investigation began Sept. 2 after a school custodian found an object that appeared to be an ink pen in a changing area and later realized it contained a recording device, Brooke County Sheriff Richard Beatty said. Deputies responded to the school after students had been dismissed and searched the building. Authorities ultimately reported finding four devices in three areas used by female students: the girls’ physical education locker room, the girls’ varsity locker room and a changing area used by the school’s dance team.
A criminal complaint obtained by local news station WTOV said investigators received a search warrant to examine the first device and its memory card. According to the complaint, an investigator stopped reviewing one recording after seeing a female student changing clothes. Another recording allegedly showed James looking into the pen-shaped camera and positioning it in the room before another student later entered. Authorities have not publicly identified the students, and their identities are being withheld because they are minors.
The complaint says James admitted to a deputy that he had placed the camera in the locker and changing area and said he had placed four devices in all. Investigators reported recovering another device resembling a key fob in the same area, along with a USB charger-style device and another concealed camera in a separate room. The complaint said the additional devices were running when authorities took them into evidence.
Beatty said investigators searched the school, James’ office and his school-issued phone. Authorities also obtained warrants for James’ home in Marshall County and seized electronic equipment there. The recording devices and other electronics were sent to the West Virginia State Police forensic laboratory in Morgantown for examination. Officials said they do not yet know how many students may have been recorded or how long the devices had been operating. Investigators plan to notify people identified in the recordings after the evidence is reviewed.
Public reports have differed on the exact number of felony counts filed against James. The West Virginia magistrate court record available Saturday listed one count of intentionally intercepting or attempting to intercept wire, oral or electronic communication and one count of breaking and entering a nonresidence. PEOPLE and WDTV reported that James also faces a second breaking-and-entering count. The state court website cautions that its online information may not represent a complete criminal history. James has not been convicted, and the allegations against him have not been proven in court.
The court record shows James, 53, was jailed on a $100,000 cash bond after the charges were filed Sept. 3. No plea was listed in the online docket as of Saturday. The record identifies the Brooke County Sheriff’s Office as the investigating agency and lists DeMarr W. Moulton as James’ attorney. PEOPLE reported that an attorney for James did not immediately respond to its request for comment.
Brooke County Schools suspended James after administrators learned of the investigation. Superintendent Jeffrey Crook said the district was cooperating with law enforcement and conducting its own review. District officials said they were meeting with students, parents and staff to provide support while the investigations continued. Authorities also searched restrooms and other facilities at Brooke High School and used specialized equipment to check for additional concealed electronic devices. Officials said other district schools were checked as a precaution and were considered safe.
The case has also moved into civil court. The Weirton Daily Times reported that a proposed class-action lawsuit was filed in Brooke County Circuit Court on behalf of a female Brooke High School student and other students against James and the Brooke County Board of Education. The complaint alleges violations of student privacy and failures by the school system to adequately safeguard private areas. Those claims are civil allegations and have not been decided by a court. A separate lawsuit filed by another student and reported by The West Virginia Record also names James and the county school board.
James had served as principal of Brooke High School since June 2023, according to local reporting. School officials have said his suspension remains in effect while the criminal and administrative investigations continue. Authorities have said further charges are possible depending on what investigators find during the forensic examination of the seized devices.
James’ preliminary hearing is scheduled for 11:40 a.m. Sept. 14 in Brooke County Magistrate Court, according to the state court docket. He remained subject to the $100,000 cash bond listed in the record Saturday. The criminal investigation, forensic review and school district investigation remain ongoing.