Teacher mistakenly sent his boss video of teens undressing, California officials say

A former high school teacher in California will serve a year in jail after pleading guilty to filming unclothed teenage girls in a theater dressing room with a hidden camera, news reports say.

The 38-year-old teacher’s illicit activities at Union Mine High School in El Dorado were discovered in January when he mistakenly sent the video to an assistant principal, The Mercury News reported.

The administrator had asked for videos of student activities to show to incoming students, but teacher Ryan Pullen later told her had mistakenly sent family photos that he urgently needed to delete, a sheriff’s report cited by the publication said.

The assistant principal became suspicious and a technician retrieved the seven-minute video, a compilation of clips illicitly shot over several years, The Mercury News reported.

The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office arrested Pullen a day after being notified by school officials of the video, The Sacramento Bee reported.

He was listed at the time as a teacher in the high school’s English department, according to the publication.

Pullen was charged with felony possession of child pornography and misdemeanor child abuse, The Mountain Democrat reported. He is no longer a teacher.

On Monday, Nov. 15, a judge sentenced Pullen to 364 days in jail and two years probation, the publication reported. He also must register as a sex offender.

Two of the nine former students identified in the videos spoke at the hearing, with one saying she now has “constant anxiety” about being watched. Pullen apologized for his actions, saying he was “deeply remorseful and ashamed,” The Mountain Democrat reported.

This story was originally published November 17, 2021 at 2:48 PM with the headline "Teacher mistakenly sent his boss video of teens undressing, California officials say."