Teacher who made upskirt videos sentenced to 5 years
MOUNT HOLLY » A former Lenape High School teacher will be behind bars instead of in the classroom.
Eric T. Howell, 44, of the first block of Dogwood Court in Maple Shade, was sentenced Wednesday to five years in state prison for taking hidden upskirt videos and photos of female students last year in his classroom, the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office announced in a press release.
Howell creepily went around the school with a concealed camera in a coconut water box that was placed in the mesh portion of his briefcase. To produce his sick recordings, Howell would unscrew the cap and walk near female students, allowing the camera to point up their skirts or loose-fitting shorts, prosecutors outlined.
The teacher’s disgusting behavior was observed by an individual when Howell passed a female student and extended his arm sideways to position the camera under her skirt, authorities said. School officials were notified of the incident on May 2, who then contacted police.
Howell was charged in May 2017 and he pleaded guilty this past March to one count of endangering the welfare of a child.
Prosecutors said they uncovered no evidence that Howell uploaded or shared the recordings.
“Parents and students have every right to expect that students will be safe from any form of sexual misconduct while they are in school, particularly by their teachers,” Prosecutor Scott Coffina said in a statement. “This defendant betrayed that sacred trust and rightfully is paying a significant price for his actions. I commend the students who immediately reported this behavior to the school administration once it had been observed, and the administration’s prompt action in response. The investigation into this matter was a direct result of the concern that was shown, and the action that was taken, to make sure that these criminal acts were addressed.”
Authorities contributed the conviction of Howell to the work of Burlington County Assistant Prosecutor Stephen Eife, Medford Police Detective Nicole Fellona and BCPO Detective Matthew Delgado.