Records: Wethersfield Principal Accused of Taking Secret Photos of Kids at Wal-Mart Has Still Not Entered a Plea

WETHERSFIELD, CT — The principal of a local elementary school accused of tracking children around a Hartford Wal-Mart while secretly recording images of them last month has still not entered a plea in court.

John Bean, the principal at Highcrest Elementary School, filed a brief appearance this week and his case was continued to Nov. 22, judicial system records indicate. He remains free on a $10,000 bond and has yet to enter a plea, court records indicate.

Bean is currently on administrative leave as the investigation into what happened at the store progresses, according to Superintendent of Schools Michael Emmett.

Bean was arrested on Sept. 24.

According to the Hartford Police arrest log, Bean, 46, was taken into custody at 495 Flatbush Ave., the address of the area Wal-Mart.

He was charged with interfering and second-degree breach of peace.

Highcrest serves students in kindergarten through Grade 6, according to the school system's Web site.

According to a police report, an uniformed officer assigned to the Wal-Mart on Sept. 24 was called into the store by security staffers because they had been watching a man, later identified as Bean, walking through several aisles.

Bean had no cart and appeared not to be shopping, but following children with his phone camera and then taking pictures of them when their mothers traveled out of the photo frames, police said in the report.

He was concealing his phone with a toy package, according to the report.

Bean was then arrested based partly on the store security camera evidence, according to the report.

Photo Credit: Hartford Police