Teacher Says Peeping Tom Screwed Up

COLUMBIA, S.C. (CN) - A middle school teacher claims a contract janitor hid a video camera in a garbage bag to photograph women using a faculty rest room - and that the incompetent peeping Tom accidentally filmed himself doing it.

Carmen Nazario sued Southeast Service Corp. in Richland County Court.

Nazario, who teaches at E.L. Wright Middle School, says she was using the women's room in the faculty lounge when she saw a red light in a black plastic bag directly across from the toilet.

She says she found an operating video camera, and immediately notified the school resource officer, who called police.

"Law enforcement officials then reviewed the footage on the video camera and identified Mrs. Nazario ... on the recording as well as other individuals who had been video recorded without their knowledge," according to the complaint.

"The authorities also discovered that the image of the person placing the camera had also been recorded, who was identified as David W. Richardson, an employee of the defendant SSC."

Richardson is not named as a defendant.

Nazario says Southeast Service Corp. failed to do an adequate background check before hiring Richardson, who she says has an extensive criminal record, including arrests for trespassing, petty larceny, possession of an unlawful weapon and a guilty plea to simple assault and battery. She says the assault and batter charge "was based upon an indictment for assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature arising out of a serious sexual assault," and that SSC should have known it.

She seeks punitive damages for negligence and emotional distress.

She is represented by John Delgado of Columbia.

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