School employee accused of secretly filming 12 girls in changing room faces new charges
Additional Charges Filed Against Maryland High School Employee in Secret Recording Case
A Maryland high school employee accused of secretly recording female students in a school changing room is now facing a significantly expanded list of criminal charges after investigators uncovered additional alleged victims.
James Mulhern III, a media services technician at Walter Johnson High School in Montgomery County, now faces 12 counts of abuse of a minor, according to authorities. The case has grown substantially since Mulhern was first charged in April, when four victims had been identified. An expanded investigation has since brought the total to 12 alleged victims, with some of the recovered videos dating back to 2015.
The investigation began on April 7, when two students discovered a video camera hidden in the control booth of the school's theater. One of the students reviewed the memory card and found footage that had been recorded inside the girls' changing room, according to the Montgomery County Police Department. The students then alerted school administrators.
Police said the footage showed an adult male placing the camera inside the room before leaving. The school's principal identified the individual as Mulhern.
Detectives subsequently executed search warrants at the high school and at Mulhern's home in Clarksburg, recovering items of evidentiary value and seizing several electronic devices. The evidence led investigators to identify eight additional alleged victims.
Mulhern appeared in court this week on the new charges. A judge ordered his release on a $100,000 unsecured personal bond, with conditions that he stay away from Walter Johnson High School, have no contact with minors, and have only supervised contact with his 4-year-old son.
Montgomery County State's Attorney John McCarthy said the newly uncovered evidence heightened prosecutors' concerns in the case.
Each count of abuse of a minor carries a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison under Maryland law. If convicted on all 12 counts, Mulhern could face up to 300 years behind bars.
The Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office did not immediately respond to a request for additional comment.
