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Lawsuit Alleges Voyeurism by Vancouver Public Schools Employee

Dec 9, 2022 | Firm News, Sexual Abuse

PCVA partners Tom Vertetis and Darrell Cochran represent multiple families whose children may have been caught on cameras hidden in bathrooms and locker rooms at Alki Middle School and Skyview High School.

The alleged perpetrator, James Mattson, was arrested in October and has pleaded guilty to 137 counts of voyeurism. Many more victims likely remain unidentified; detectives located evidence that Mattson was making secret recordings as far back as 2013. A former custodian at Alki Middle School, Mattson put hidden cameras in the girl’s locker room of Alki and the female staff bathroom at Skyview.

“It’s unsettling. And it also leads to more questions than answers,” Tom said. “The fear of the unknown is real, and parents are very concerned for their children. From my perspective, the school district is aware and is concurrently conducting an internal investigation, and it would be in their best interest to make sure that the students and individuals that were under their care are informed and advised if they’ve been exposed…”

The Clark County Sheriff’s office is conducting a criminal investigation and stated it will take at least a year before all victims are identified. The school district has completed a search of the restrooms and locker rooms of all of its buildings and did not locate any currently active hidden recording devices; periodic building searches will continue.

Media coverage about the lawsuit:
KOIN 6,”Clark County Sergeant: Identifying voyeurism victims will take at least a year