Wisconsin School Teacher Charged For Hiding Cameras In Students’ Bathrooms

A Wisconsin high school teacher was charged in Minnesota on Wednesday for hiding cameras in the bathrooms of a hotel room where his students were staying during a trip. He was arrested last Thursday.

The allegations against David Kruchten, 37, were made by students in December after three of them spotted cameras installed in their bathrooms, “in places where the likely intent was to capture sexual imagery.” The Dec. 7 discovery made by female students, aged 15 -17, sparked an investigation leading up to the charges.

Kruchten, a business teacher at Madison East High School, was in charge of the students who were visiting Minneapolis for a conference. The group was staying at the Hyatt Regency. He allegedly hid cameras in two air freshener cans and a smoke detector in three bathrooms of the hotel, according to Star Tribune.

“All devices were oriented to face toward the toilet and shower area,” the newspaper reported, citing the court documents. “One of the victims noticed an air freshener on her bathroom counter and went to press a button that she believed would activate the spray. When she pressed it, the device opened up to reveal the inner workings of a surveillance camera and other related electronics.”

Hennepin County prosecutors charged him with three felony counts of interfering with the privacy of a minor. The charge can attract a maximum sentence of six years.

Kruchten was placed on leave in December while the investigation was being carried out.

Kruchten was also charged for seven counts of child pornography in two separate incidents, WCCO reported. He could face a minimum of 15 years in federal prison, and a maximum sentence of 30 years on each count, if proven guilty.