SAN DIEGO — Freddy Mogollan, a custodian at Bayside STEAM Academy in Imperial Beach, is behind bars tonight, facing multiple charges for allegedly filming women in a school restroom.
A teacher made the disturbing discovery. She spotted a cell phone camera recording her in a staff bathroom. The school says it traced the phone back to Mogollan.
Tanya Knight is a second-grade teacher at Bayside and believes she was recorded.
“That is my primary restroom, my primary stall,” Knight said.
Authorities went through Mogollan’s phone and believed he secretly videoed over a dozen people using the restroom.
“They retrieved images from that cell phone… I believe 14 female staff members,” Knight said. “There weren't any other community members or children, though I know children have used that restroom. My colleague’s daughters have used that restroom.”
Knight says the phone was discovered in October 2021, but investigators say the recordings could have started years earlier.
According to Knight’s attorney, police didn’t serve a search warrant on Mogollan’s phone for several months, giving him time to erase many photos and videos.
Jail records show Mogollan faces one felony count of possession of child pornography, but authorities haven't disclosed if that's from a picture taken at the school. He also faces multiple misdemeanor counts of invasion of privacy for allegedly looking through a hole into the bathroom and recording.
“Many people considered him a friend, and to find out he was doing something so horrific was really devastating,” Knight said.
Now, she fears pictures of her have been posted online, leading to many sleepless nights. She says she, and several other employees, have had to seek therapy for various issues.
“Anxiety, stress, just not wanting to go to work, not wanting to be there on campus," Knight said.
Knight and six other employees are suing Mogollan and the South Bay Union School District for creating a hostile work environment, discrimination, and failure to prevent harassment.
The district sent CBS 8 a statement from Superintendent José Espinoza saying,
“South Bay Union School District takes employee safety and security very seriously. We were shocked to learn of the allegations of employee misconduct at one of our schools. The District fully cooperated with law enforcement in its investigation of this matter. Due to privacy rights and ongoing litigation, the District is unable to comment further at this time.”
Attorney Dan Gilleon, who represents the women now suing the school district, tells CBS 8 that the school board
"Seems to think it's no big deal that, for years, its female employees and students were secretly filmed using the restroom. Freddy Mogollan was given months to dispose of years of images he captured before search warrants were issued. My clients were not the only ones who used these restrooms every day. By forcing these lawsuits, hundreds of more women and children will likely come forward and file claims of their own. The Board needs to put on its thinking caps and stop the CYA game that is certain to cost the taxpayers dearly."
Mogollan's preliminary hearing for his criminal case is scheduled for March first. He's being held on $250,000 bail.
WATCH RELATED: Alpine mother says man was caught peeping in her 6-year-old son's window multiple times (Jan. 2023).