In a reversal of its original decision, the Broward Sheriff's Office is now asking county prosecutors to bring a misdemeanor case against the 17-year-old caught snapping cell phone photos of girls going to the loo at Cypress Bay High School in Weston.
From the BSO news release:
The victim, a 15-year-old student, told detectives that she was inside a closed toilet stall in a second-floor girl's room, fully dressed and applying makeup, when she noticed someone holding a cellphone under the stall wall, apparently taking photographs. As the photographer left the girl's room the victim caught a glimpse of him. She reported the incident to school security and described the boy. Security cameras captured images of the boy in the hallway and he was identified by staff.But until just now, we'd been told that BSO decided against charging the boy because the images he snapped didn't contain any nudity. And judging by the release, that still appears to be the case:
A BSO school resource deputy and an assistant principal confronted the boy, who admitted being in the girl's room and allowed them to examine his cellphone. The deputy and the A.P. examined the images and found no photos of the victim, or anyone else, "using the bathroom." They returned the phone to the boy and observed as he deleted all of the images.Huh? Is that some kind of code for "nudity"? And if the kid deleted all the images, then how did the sheriff's investigators get the chance to inspect them?
The SRD reported the incident to his supervisors and BSO Sex Crimes detectives were assigned to conduct an investigation. Detectives believe the incident constitutes the misdemeanor offense of video voyeurism (FSS 810.145) and they are presenting that charge to the State Attorney, who will determine whether prosecution should proceed.