WASHINGTON — A reading instructor at Woodgrove High School in Purcellvile, Virginia, was arrested Friday and charged with unlawfully filming students, authorities in Loudoun County said.
Samuel Hermens, 30, of West Virginia, was seen by another school employee, using his cellphone to try to take photos under the skirts of female students Friday morning, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office.
In a message to parents, the school’s principal Sam Shipp said the staff member noticed what they consider inappropriate conduct in a school hallway and reported it to school administrators which then notified the school’s resource officer.
Hermens’ official title is itinerant specialized instructional facilitator for reading in the Loudoun school system.
The job according to Wayde Byard spokesman for Loudoun County Public Schools involves Hermens spending his time between several schools.
The school system said Hermens began as a substitute in 2009 and became a full-time employee in 2012. Byard said Hermens is on administrative leave without pay.
He is being held at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center without bond.
