A California teacher was arrested on child pornography charges after allegedly planting a hidden recording device in an all-gender restroom near the school’s swimming pool.
Siu Kong Sit, 37, a math teacher at Beckman High school in Irvine, was taken into custody at the school on Monday after it was revealed he had secretly taped students while they were in the bathroom.
Sit was charged with possessing or manufacturing child pornography, burglary and two counts of misdemeanor, Irvine police said.
Sit’s alleged predatory behavior was discovered after a hired maintenance worker found the secret recording device in the bathroom.
It was handed over to school administrators, who alerted the police.
Investigators found “images of several victims” on the recording device and are trying to identify more victims who may have been secretly revealed.
Siu Kong Sit, a 37-year-old math teacher at Beckman High School in Irvine, California, has been arrested for allegedly planting a secret recording device in a unisex school bathroom near a swimming pool
A photo shows the high school’s “All Gender Restroom.” A contracted school maintenance worker found the secret recording device in the bathroom
Further details about the ‘recording device’ have not been shared, but the allegations facing Sit suggest it was used to take photos or videos.
It is unclear whether all the victims were students, or whether they were teachers and also administrative staff.
Sit, a resident of Santa Ana, was booked in the Orange County Jail. His bail was set at $20,000, according to online court records. It is unclear whether he has engaged a lawyer at this time.
As of Wednesday morning, there was nothing about the teacher’s arrest on the school’s website.
When DailyMail.com contacted Beckman High School, they were not available for comment.
A letter to the parents of Superintendent Mark E Johnson stated, “Yesterday our school community was confronted with a difficult issue regarding alleged criminal misconduct on campus by a Beckman High School employee.
“Yesterday morning, staff found what appeared to be recording equipment disguised as smoke detectors in each of the two unisex restrooms on campus, near Beckman High School’s pool deck.
Beckman High said it was cooperating with police and a private company was hired to look for other possible recording equipment
“After finding the devices, the administration immediately contacted the Irvine Police Department (IPD). IPD began investigating the situation and tried to identify the owner of the device through forensic analysis.’
The letter continued, “Last night IPD informed us that they have obtained evidence linking these devices to a Beckman associate.
“At this time, we can confirm that IPD has arrested the employee and he is currently in custody.
In addition, TUSD has placed the employee on indefinite administrative leave and will conduct its own investigation in coordination and parallel with IPD.
“At this time, the district does not know specific details regarding the functionality of the video recording devices, how long the devices were in the restrooms, or any information regarding content that may have been recorded.
“We realize this is distressing and we strongly believe that given the circumstances, it is necessary to share this information with our community as quickly as possible.
‘Deans are there for students or employees who want to talk to someone. In addition, we would like to offer our assurance that we will continue to cooperate with law enforcement agencies as they conduct their investigations and to confirm that the final actions taken will be based on facts and the law.
“While we cannot comment on specific details, as the investigation is ongoing, any misconduct by teachers will be addressed to the best of our ability, according to applicable due process rules regarding disciplinary action.
“Please know that Beckman staff have inspected every restroom on campus and found no similar devices.”
Johnson added that a private company was also contracted to track down even more devices.