The following news story was post earlier this afternoon and reprinted by the Kennedale News
Posted: Mar 19, 2014 3:57 PM CDT
Updated: Mar 19, 2014 3:57 PM CDT
(KXAS) — A Kennedale teacher was arrested after police say he hid a camera in a high school bathroom.
Police say Jason Tomlinson, 29, put the camera under a sink in the ladies faculty restroom. {{more}}
Police say the camera was discovered Monday when it fell from under the sink and a faculty member found it and handed over to a school resource officer. Police say it was not clear how long the camera was under the sink.
While searching the camera, police said visual evidence on the camera led them to Tomlinson.
Police say no other recording devices were found when officers searched the rest of the high school for any other cameras.
Kennedale’s police chief says the focus now is on figuring out how many people were in the footage and if any students were recorded.
“This was a faculty bathroom but we are checking to make sure there were no other bathrooms involved,” Kennedale Police Chief Tommy Williams said. “Again you’re talking about a video camera that can be moved around from place to place, so we have no idea how many places he mounted that camera.”
Investigators said they believed he gathered video and uploaded it to a computer at home and possibly a computer at school.
Tomlinson, a former Navy football player, coached football and taught science at Kennedale High School.
The Kennedale Independent School District released this statement Wednesday:
“Kennedale ISD is shocked and deeply saddened by the allegations against Mr. Jason Tomlinson. Kennedale ISD is cooperating fully with law enforcement officials and we have taken all appropriate actions in accordance with the law and district policy. Mr. Tomlinson has been placed on administrative leave effective immediately.”
Tomlinson has been with the district since January 2013.
Tomlinson is charged with improper photography, he’s being held in the Mansfield Jail on $100,000 bond.
