Middle school student arrested for alleged restroom photography

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A middle school student was arrested after district officials said he took video of another student after school while in the restroom.

The Sugar Grove Academy student, whose name has not been released because of his age, was charged with improper photography.

"I think it's bad because they have security. The security needs to investigate. That's why I come to school to check on my kids," said parent Marilu Oregon.

Oregon said she was not made aware of the incident by the school. Other parents said the same thing.

"Kids are naive. A 12-year-old isn't supposed to know the Texas Penal Code," said Sgt. Richard Hahn with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

Sgt. Hahn said smart phones in the hands of kids comes with legal responsibility. He said one bad photo, thought to be harmless or a joke, can actually land a minor in jail and ruin the victim's life.

"They are going to be victimized for the rest of their lives. That photo is going to be disseminated across the internet to potentially millions of people," said Sgt. Hahn.

It's not known if that actually happened in the Sugar Grove case. HISD officials are not elaborating on the motive behind the improper photography. But Sgt. Hahn says if the photos are shared, they become like candy to an online child predator.

"Now they can sit inside their own bedroom in the privacy of their own home and get into a whole lot more trouble than we did as kids just on that little device," said Hahn.

Sgt. Hahn said the best thing to do as a parent is to take away your child's cell phone at night, and check their devices often.

"I think the primary thing is take a few seconds to think before you do something. It's judgment," said Hahn.

HISD officials said in addition to criminal charges, the student has been disciplined by the district.