A Maryland high school staff member accused of secretly filming female students in a campus changing room is now facing more criminal charges after police said an expanded investigation uncovered eight additional alleged victims.
James Mulhern III, who worked at Walter Johnson High School in Montgomery County, has been charged with 12 counts of abuse of a minor after investigators said newly recovered footage showed 12 female students in various stages of undress.
Montgomery County police said the case began April 7, when two students found a video camera inside the control booth of Walter Johnson High School’s theater.
One student checked the camera’s memory card and discovered videos that appeared to have been recorded inside the girls’ changing room, then reported the finding to school administrators.
James Mulhern III, a Walter Johnson High School employee, faces additional charges after investigators identified eight more alleged victims in a student voyeurism case. (Montgomery County Department of Police)
Investigators said the footage showed an adult male placing the camera in the room and then walking away. The school’s principal later identified the man as Mulhern, who served as a media services technician at the school, according to police.
Detectives obtained and executed search warrants at Walter Johnson High School and at Mulhern’s home in Clarksburg, where police said they recovered evidence and seized multiple electronic devices.
Authorities said evidence gathered during the investigation led detectives to eight more alleged victims and videos dating as far back as 2015, widening the case beyond the four victims identified when Mulhern was initially charged in April.
Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda, Md., where authorities say employee James Mulhern III is accused of secretly recording female students in a theater changing room. (Google Maps)
Mulhern appeared in court Wednesday on the additional 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.
An aerial view of Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda, Md., where investigators said James Mulhern III worked as a media services technician. (Google Maps)
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.
INC News has reached out to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office for additional comment.
