Former Student Charged With Eavesdropping, Sexual Exploitation of Minor

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ADAIRSVILLE, GA -- The student whose cell phone was found recording classmates in a girls locker room at Adairsville High School has been charged in connection to the case.

Bartow County Jail records show 17-year-old Cullen Casey Schmidt of Adairsville was booked into the facility at 1 p.m. Wednesday, March 23 on six charges of felony eavesdropping and felony one count of sexual exploitation of a minor.

The case came to light when a staff member found the cell phone, “which may have been planted in a locker room to capture images,” the Bartow County School System previously said.

Officials were able to track down the owner of the Apple iPhone -- later identified as Schmidt -- and removed him from the school. In the meantime, the Bartow County Campus Police Department was granted a search warrant to investigate the phone's contents.

According to an incident report released by Bartow County Schools, five students and one teacher were captured on the phone. The students were recorded changing clothes for classes either in the restroom area of the weight room or the locker room.

Additionally, one of the students was also in the restroom area of the weight room, and a "portion of the recording did expose her [redacted]," the report states.

Another victim, an Adairsville High School teacher, was also recorded in the weight room. That teacher, who was recorded while using the restroom, subsequently discovered the phone and turned it over to school officials, the report notes.

Cheree Dye, spokesperson with the Bartow County School System, said Schmidt is no longer a student at Adairsville High School. Jail records also show he remains held at the facility without bond.

In a previous statement, Bartow County Schools Superintendent Dr. John Harper noted the system "takes this situation very seriously."

“We will not hesitate to do whatever is necessary to protect our students and send a clear message that this kind of action is completely inappropriate," he previously said.

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