A Maryland high school “media services technician” who was arrested in April on one count of sexually abusing a minor is now facing numerous additional counts of sexually abusing a minor.
James Mulhern III of Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda was originally arrested in April “after allegedly filming underage female students inside a changing room near the school’s theater,” according to Bethesda Today.
Teacher Arrested After Students Find Hidden Camera in Changing Room.
Montgomery County police in Maryland have arrested a 43-year-old man who worked as a media services technician at Walter Johnson High School after students discovered a video camera recording inside a girls’… pic.twitter.com/26w1vmh0VQ
— Robbie Harvey (@therobbieharvey) April 17, 2026
Staff members with Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) reportedly told the police that on April 7, two students at the high school found a video camera in the control booth of the school’s theater. When they pulled up the camera’s videos, they found footage from inside a nearby girls changing room.
“[T]he video showed a man placing the camera, which was recording, and leaving the room,” according to Bethesda Today. “Teenage girls later entered the room and began changing in preparation for a theater performance.”
Recorded in 2018, the video depicted four girls.
The students emailed the video to Principal Nicole Morgan, who identified the man in the video as Mulhern and forwarded it to the police. Mulhern was placed on leave without pay pending a police investigation and initially charged with just one count of sex abuse of a minor.
Speaking at the time with D.C. station WTTG, the boys who found the camera expressed shock.
“I’m still in shock kind of, but I’m also happy that he’s in custody,” one student said.
“As of right now, we’re talking about one event and one student,” Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy added. “It was noted in open court that he made a statement to them about having an unhealthy attraction, self-admitted, to students. The investigation continues.”
The police subsequently executed search warrants at the high school and Mulhern’s home, where they found additional evidence. According to a more recent Bethesda Today report, the new evidence included videos dating back to 2015 containing eight additional victims.
“[T]he devices allegedly had 15 videos from hidden cameras, 11 of which were taken at Walter Johnson’s girl’s theater changing room and costume storage area,” the report noted.
The videos reportedly showed young girls changing, with their underwear sometimes being exposed.
According to a police report, the authorities also found “39 images featuring teen cleavage” of students from the high school, including photos taken from their social media profiles.
The police further “found internet search history of pornography related to students and searches for ‘teen cleavage’ and ‘girls of WJ,’ short for Walter Johnson.”
Mulhern now faces 12 counts of abuse of a minor, with each count carrying a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison. If convicted on all counts, he’ll face up to 300 years in prison.
He was released from police custody on Wednesday on a $100,000 unsecured bond and with several conditions, including zero contact with minors, excluding his 4-year-old son. He must also stay off the Internet and stay away from the high school.
Lastly, Mulhern isn’t allowed to live with his mother because she “was present in the theater department at the time of the alleged incidents and will likely be a witness,” according to Bethesda Today.
David Wooten, Mulhern’s attorney, has defended him by arguing that he completed a “psychosexual evaluation” and has been determined to be at low risk of recidivism.
“Wooten also noted that Mulhern was attending sex specific therapy and self-help groups and that Mulhern’s family, including his mother and father-in-law, were present as support,” according to Bethesda Today.
According to station WUSA, Mulhern has admitted that he set up the camera at Walter Johnson High School and that he’d had an inappropriate attraction to several students.
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V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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