SPRING, Texas – A Spring ISD janitor is out on bond after he was accused of placing cameras in two staff bathrooms at an elementary school.
Erik Fernando Carreon is charged with invasive visual recording. He posted a $10,000 bond and has since been released. His next court hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. Friday. A mugshot of Carreon wasn’t immediately available.
According to court documents, Carreon admitted to buying cameras and installing them in two bathrooms. The footage caught two woman employees using the bathroom at the school.
Spring ISD said the cameras were found at Hoyland Elementary School and were discovered in an area restricted to staff members.
They said Carreon was quickly identified as a suspect and was terminated. The district said an electronic detection K9 searched the campus for any other devices, but no other cameras were found.
As a bond condition, Carreon can’t possess or use a video recording device or any devices that can access the internet.
The full Spring ISD statement can be read below:
The Spring Independent School District took swift action following the reporting of a recording device at Hoyland Elementary School, which was discovered in an area restricted to staff members. A suspect was immediately identified, quickly terminated from their position and was arrested by the Spring ISD Police Department and booked on a felony charge of invasive visual recording. Further charges could be filed, as the investigation is ongoing.
After a thorough investigation, a staff meeting was held yesterday at the school, and a letter was sent to all parents and staff. Partnering with Harris County Pct. 5 Constable’s Office, we were also able to bring in an Electronic Detection K9 to thoroughly search the campus for any other devices, of which none were found.
We have no tolerance here in Spring ISD for criminal acts, especially those that would violate the safety, privacy and well being of our staff and students. The district is proud of the swift action and vigilance of our campus staff and police department, which brought this incident to a quick resolution.
How to spot a hidden camera device
Hidden cameras could be lurking anywhere, from a school bathroom to a hotel room or a rented vacation home.
“Sometimes, they’re hard to find ... you really have to know what you’re looking for,” local digital forensics company president Gary Huestis said. “If it’s in a place you’re familiar with and there’s a new smoke detector, a new clock radio, something like that, that kind of piques your attention, then take a closer look at it.”
An example he shared was a USB charger with two charging ports, but in between them, it had a tiny hidden camera that looked like a light.
A cheap, easy way to find a hidden camera device is using a detector with bright LED lights, which help make a camera lens more reflective. The lights have to be pretty closely aligned with the angle of the camera lens in order to see any type of reflection, KPRC 2 learned while doing a demonstration with Huestis.