A former Tennessee middle school teacher was sentenced to four years in prison for placing a camera in a girl’s locker room and filming up one student’s skirt. Christopher Schroll, 33, pleaded guilty to attempted aggravated unlawful photography of a minor in a Bradley County courtroom on Monday.
Schroll was arrested in March after students complained about finding a camera inside the locker room. He told Cleveland Police detectives that he purchased a DivineEagle Spy Camera off Amazon and placed it in the girl’s locker room, claiming he received “complaints” about students being “bullied and harassed.” However, school administrators stated they never received such complaints nor were informed of any incidents by Schroll.
His covert recording of students took place over two days, capturing footage of 30 female juveniles, including some who were changing. Police had to sift through approximately four million images on an SD card linked to the secret recording device. Detectives also discovered a deleted video on one of Schroll’s devices that filmed up the skirt of a student.
Upon his arrest, parents of Cleveland Middle School students were immediately notified about the teacher’s then-alleged disturbing misconduct. Before his sentencing on Monday, several families of the young victims testified to how Schroll’s actions affected their lives. A sex offender counselor testified in Schroll’s defense, advocating for treatment rather than jail time.
Despite his apology and claim of remorse, parents argued that since his arrest, he has been seen around the girl’s soccer practice, which they find unsettling. Schroll will also be forced to register as a sex offender upon completion of his prison sentence.
