Texas Principal Accused of Using Daughter to Hide Camera in Girls Locker Room — But Not for What You Think
- Posted on July 6, 2012 at 8:27am by
Jonathon M. Seidl
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DENTON, Texas (AP) — A North Texas middle school principal is accused of placing a hidden video camera in a locker room during her daughter’s high school basketball game to see how much the coach yelled at the players.
Wendee Long, 46, was indicted by a Denton County grand jury last week on two felony charges: improper photography or visual recording, and unlawful interception, use or disclosure of wire, oral or electronic communications – what’s commonly known as wiretapping, said assistant prosecutor Jamie Beck. The improper photography charge carries a punishment of 180 days to two years in a state jail, and the wiretapping charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
Long turned herself in this week, and jail records show she was released after posting $25,000 bail.
Her attorney, Daniel Peugh, said his client has not violated any law and will be cleared of any wrongdoing.
Wendy Long
Argyle school board members said they received copies of the video in the mail anonymously and gave one to police. Authorities have said the video, recorded during halftime of Argyle High School’s game in Sanger in February, does not show inappropriate images of the girls. They believe it was recorded to capture the basketball coach’s actions.
Beck has said there was evidence that Long came up with the plan and encouraged her teenage daughter to make the video. A grand jury did not indict Long’s daughter and she does not face charges, Beck said.
Long, a former school board member in Argyle, is principal of a Fort Worth-area middle school and has been placed on leave, according to officials in the Eagle Mountain-Saginaw school district.
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Comments (79)
shellyhsmom25
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 6:59pmHere we is see a principal who is concerned for the safety of her students and the police have the nerve to prosecute????.. I give her an applause. So few principals actually care what is going on in their schools.
Report Post »Kupo
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 8:18pmI’m sorry, but while her motives may have been pure the ends do not justify the means in this case. People are entitled to privacy, and I’m not even necessarily talking about the coach in this situation but also the students – they are also being recorded without consent.
Surveillance cameras set up in an area where minors change clothing? This is a serious no no.
Report Post »Obama_Sham
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 10:49pmSorry… No expectation of privacy in a locker room, especially one on public property… This principal will be cleared of all wrong doing… However, even though her intentions appear to be in the right place, she needs to rethink the solution to the possible problem…
Report Post »Kupo
Posted on July 7, 2012 at 12:16amLOL you are so unbelievably wrong.
Report Post »Kupo
Posted on July 7, 2012 at 12:19amIt’s one thing to expect privacy from the people that you are sharing a locker room with – yeah, that’s a little ridiculous. However, to make set up surveillance equipment? That is absolutely not allowed. That’s why you will never see a surveillance camera in a public bathroom or changing room.
Report Post »SHOWMESTATEGUY
Posted on July 7, 2012 at 3:02amWell, she could have been mad because her daughter wasn’t getting enough playing time?
Report Post »beekeeper
Posted on July 7, 2012 at 8:58amSeh wasn’t prosecuted, she was charged. The prosecutor can choose not to prosecute, but that is unlikely. I hope she consulted with a good attorney before she did what she did, but I suspect she did not (mainly because I can’t believe an attorney would have approved such a hare-brained scheme).
She could have/should have accomplished the same goal by either giving her daughter an AUDIO ONLY recording device or stood outside the locker room with an audio recording device.
Her downfall may be that she choose to use a Flip camera instead of a dictation device…
Report Post »4xeverything
Posted on July 7, 2012 at 9:57amI’ll bet the prosecutor would have thought twice if she had recorded with an audio device rather than video. It’s just wrong to have any sort of camera in a locker room.
Report Post »mayihelpyou
Posted on July 7, 2012 at 11:25amAbsolutely she should be charged. Coach’s yelling is part of the job. If she wanted to check it out then she could have just walked into the girl’s locker room.
Report Post »wntsmallgov
Posted on July 7, 2012 at 12:51pmJail time for her because the ends do not justify the means. That is liberal thinking and no room for people who have morals.
Report Post »servant.juan
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 6:25pmGandhi stated that man is not judged by his actions, but by his intentions. If her intentions were simply to find out if the coach is crossing a line (abuse, rather than motivational speech), a good court judge will see that her intentions were benign.
I see a lot of comments about “yelling = motivation = good”, but only a certain percentage of people respond favorably to that kind of motivation. Higher consciousness people prefer to feel understood, rather than to receive blanket condemnation, for poor performance. Calling someone a “sissy” works for people who are stuck in pride, but has no effect on those who have integrity.
Report Post »Libertyluvnmomma
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 9:22pmGhandi also loved to perform enemas on young girls..maybe even Margaret Sanger herself.
Report Post »I wouldn’t embarrass myself by quoting that self inflated contradictory non tool.
shogun459
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 9:52pmYou have never played school sports have you?
Report Post »JUSTANOTHEROPINION
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 6:21pmDon’t you get it? The only reason for the charges are to keep the Teachers Union from sueing. Even though public tax dollars are used to pay the salaries of teachers the Unions prevent you from finding out their true competence or the lack there of. You have to get permission to watch so that in turn the teacher(s) will know to be on their best behavior. Unions have ruined our lives. Get it? Got it? GO..OD!
Report Post »MRMANN
Posted on July 7, 2012 at 7:26amYes, unions–especially teachers’ unions–have ruined things. The teachers’ union is concerned with anything & everything except the welfare or benefit of the students. The teachers’ unions are constantly insisting that this or that is for the benefit of the students, which is a big lie–the students are absolutely the last priority of the teachers’ union.
Report Post »Demloather
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 6:15pmI was always taught that you don’t have anything to worry about until the Coach Stops Yelling at you.
Report Post »TheOldMan
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 9:33pmThat is one of the major misconceptions in basketball. Yelling at the players during a time out is one of the top hallmarks of a lousy coach! If a coach cannot explain mistakes made in a normal tone of voice it means they are not getting through, anyway. And if they think they are, they are only fooling themselves. Most of the time they themselves don’t know what the hell they are yelling about! Many of them just trying to impress the spectators to show that they are doing something.
Report Post »After having played the game about five decades ago at a college level, and having followed it ever since, I have been convinced more than once that it is much easier “to play the game” from the sidelines or the stands than in the middle of the court……
mrmikejohnson
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 5:31pmWhen a female teacher molests a male student, they get a slap on the wrist. Yet, this woman is looking at 20+ years for a videotape? Hmmm…..
Report Post »RestoreCapitalism
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 5:19pmIt seems that an audio would have been the way to go. If it’s not a private phone call, you should be able to carry an audio recording device with you to record what someone says if they have been threatening or abusive to you.
Report Post »chingachgook
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 6:04pmDepending of the jurisdiction it is illegal to tape record anyone without their knowledge or permission. It may be illegal under the same statutes covering wire tap laws and such, depending on the state where it takes place.
Report Post »lessoneleg
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 5:09pmSeems very strange that as the school principal she has every right as the Senior Administrator of the School to listen like other people have said to the conversations being called out to the team players. It’s well within her right a Senior Administrator to advise the Coach that their actions are crossing the line in areas not becoming to public sector standards of Code of Conduct. She could at any moment excuse the Coach from their duties and install another Coach in the interime to complete the season if necessary.
Report Post »But to install cameras, geeeesh. Can you imagine this twit as a neighbor?
dmforman
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 9:18pmMy friend has a neighbor with cameras pointed at his children‘s bedrooms and the cops won’t do anything. The big deal is being made because of the teacher’s union, and the teachers having more rights than any child in the room.
Report Post »Jakwalk
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 10:34pmThe article says she is the principal of another middle school in the district but that the tape was made by her daughter at her request at an away basketball game. So it sounds like her daughter is in a different school than the one her Mom is Principal at and so she has no authority over the coach. In this case she is just a concerned parent. which I think carries more weight anyway. As far as a video tape in the locker room, do I really need to say anything.
Report Post »wntsmallgov
Posted on July 7, 2012 at 1:14pmCameras can go into common areas such as hallways, breakrooms, etc etc. It is illegal to put them in changing areas and bathrooms. I would think there would be a waiver for anybody over 18 if they wanted them in their bedroom.
Report Post »nativetexanne
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 4:57pmProbably did the video cause her daughter was getting called out for slacking. We don’t need wimps like this in Texas. Down here you play hard, take your bruises and bumps, get back up and get ready for more. And if the coach yells at you, get your ass in gear.
I’m so tired of this intent to take away the American desire and work ethic for excellence…
‘Those who turn their swords into plowshares will be doomed to submit to those who don’t’ Benjamin Franklin…not an exact quote but the gist is correct.
Report Post »cykonas
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 4:48pmSo if I’m understanding this the woman thinks that the coach is too tough on the team members, one of whom is her daughter. So why doesn’t she just go to the locker room and sit and watch and listen? She’s the principal, right? She can go anywhere she wants to go in the school. Where has common sense gone??
Report Post »stage9
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 4:57pmSo THIS minor infraction is a felony, but having a treasonous president is lawful. Got it.
Report Post »aggiebrewer
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 5:26pmNothing common about it…thats the problem
Report Post »Ashliewood
Posted on August 31, 2012 at 3:21amShe is a middle school principal this was a high school game it was completely personal because more than likely her daughter had complained and she wanted to present it to the school board…
Report Post »ColoradoMaverick
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 4:41pmMaybe if Joe Paterno did the same thing when creepy molester Sandusky was accused of sodomy on young boys, many lives would not have been ruined. If she had tried to do this through the “proper channels” nothing would have happened.
Report Post »hallkbrdz
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 5:04pmHear hear.
People who blindly follow rules and laws have allowed corruption to creep in. Bucking the rules when required is a good thing, not bad.
There is a name for those that always do as I say – and don’t question it. Lemmings!
Viva liberty!
Report Post »aqiron26
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 4:25pmI am assuming her daughter is one of the players…and if her daughter was in the room with the camera the principle did nothing illegal…. as long as the daughter knew she was recording the conversation or meeting she was apart of there is nothing illegal with it
Report Post »troymac20
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 5:07pmI thought the same thing.
Report Post »JohnHW
Posted on July 8, 2012 at 10:52amIt depends on the state. Some states allow it when only one party has given approval. In other states, you have to have all parties’ approval to record.
It does sound to me that the teacher’s union is behind this. Why did only one member of the school board pass this to the police. Most school boards require at least one representative to be on the board (appointed by the union, not voted in by the citizens).
Report Post »1TANKERYANKER
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 3:31pmHow dare a coach yell at kids during 1/2 time attempting to motivate them into becoming winners, we live in a kinder, gentler time now, where scores are bad ,and there are no winners or losers only participants. he must be a sick evil conservative Christian coach. Who let him into the state run liberal weenie training facility ? Whoops I mean who let him into a school?
Report Post »Silversmith
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 2:38pmThe principal has got to be a serious liberal. While the intent was to do a good thing (I’m assuming, of course) like most liberals she broke the law to do it. Sometimes good intentions do more damage than anything else when the adolescent liberal ego takes over. Just look at the DC.
Silversmith
Report Post »Godfather.1
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 3:21pmYou know, you’re right. The conservative “journalist” James O’Keefe would never do something illegal, would he? Oh, wait. I remember, he plead guilty to federal charges because he tried to wiretap a senator’s phone.
Report Post »RickWS
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 3:31pmGodfather.1, videotaping middle school girls in a locker room, probably in various states of dress, is not in the same galaxy as showing the ACORN sucks in their natural environment.
Report Post »Godfather.1
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 3:53pm@RickWS
Way to miss the point bud. @Silversmith claimed that conducting illegal activities to reach an end result is a typical liberal scheme. I simply refuted that argument with an example. My comment made no mention of which one was worse.
Also, it is quite telling that you are trying to justify O‘Keefe’s illegal actions because you feel the end result is just. Is that not the exact thing that @Silversmith was discussing? The difference with you is that you are showing the conservatives do the exact thing that he is claiming only liberals do.
Report Post »Styx
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 4:15pm@Godfather – O’Keefe pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of entering federal property under false premises. He never got near the phones and didn’t have the means to tap them if he did. The report that he was committing a felony was entirely made up and trumpeted as truth. Check it.
Report Post »Godfather.1
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 5:32pm@Styx
Entirely made up? I guess that’s why he plead guilty, right?
Also, you are incorrect. They were attempting to mess with her phone lines. I suggest you get your facts straight.
Report Post »median
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 1:18pmLooks like the principal went to the pelosi academy of air heads.
Report Post »scuba13
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 3:05pmAnd graduated with a degree in Encinomics.
Report Post »chazmo
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 3:25pmhahaah Scuba…funny stuff man.. :)
Report Post »Xiccarph
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 12:08pmAll her lawyer has to do is focus her defense around the well established leftist slogan…..”…it was for the children…”, and ask for a change of venue to, say…DFW, Houston, Austin, etc. Guaranteed acquittal.
Report Post »pissantno.10
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 11:54amwhy didnt she just go to the locker room and see for herself, mabey talk to the coach see whats up. sounds like she was careing a grudge and out to get the coach
Report Post »drphil69
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 11:31amLiberalism at its finest. She violated FEDERAL LAW AND PRIVACY RIGHTS in order to find out if the coach was “yelling at the girls too much.”
THE ENDS JUSTIFY THE MEANS REGARDLESS OF FEDERAL LAW, PRIVACY RIGHTS, INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS OR HUMAN RIGHTS.
Report Post »Man-On-A-Mission
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 11:56amYou guys find something out of nothing. What does this have to do with Liberalism…….Liberals want nothing to do with hidden cameras….that’s all you Neo-Conservatives….your the ones whom want to know what people are doing in their bed rooms and houses…what their smoking…who their doing…..you got it wrong.
Report Post »Question with BOLDness
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 12:34pm@Man-On-A-Mission
No, conservatives don‘t care what is going on in everyone else’s bedrooms! Its the liberals who is constantly trying to shove gay-marriage and all this other CRAP down everyone’s throats!
Report Post »Dont-hate-on-me-2
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 1:06pmMan-On-A-Mission,
I beg to differ, all I ever see is some liberal drooling cause he caught some conservative without knowing, offguard or out of context doing something they feel is against there code of conduct.
Report Post »In your defense it goes both ways i’m sure.
bbyrdhouse
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 3:01pm@MAN-ON-A-MISSION
Uhh … no … you got that backwards.
Us conservatives could care less what you do in private.
Its liberalism that wants cameras every where.
Its liberalism that wants to monitor your electricity use
Its liberalism that wants to monitor your food choices
Its liberalism that wants me to pay for some chronic bed-hopper’s abortion and or condems
It’s liberalism that wants to take money from hard working, honest folks and give it to lazy couch potatoes
Its liberalism that wants to control nearly every aspect of our lives.
Quit drinking the kool-aid!
Report Post »kaydeebeau
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 3:54pmActually as for this Conservative (me) if the libs would keep the stuff in the bedroom (or inside their home) we wouldn’t have any problems at all with them. It is because the libs want to parade private behavior out for all to see and expect to be congratulated and celebrated for the deviance.
How is that the leftists are always screaming about “you can’t legislate morality” yet all they seem to want to do is legalize immorality. What society or civilization does that and survives for any length of time?
Report Post »Krutch
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 11:19amGuess she should have sold nudy pics of the girls and the libs would then be happy.
Report Post »NoNannyState4me
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 12:02pmWollen Sie meine Papiere, Führer zu sehen?
Report Post »Popp40
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 9:03amAnyone who has played sports knows that coaches yell. It’s when they stop yelling is when you need to worry. I’m sure a lot will disagree with that but those who have ever played a competitive sport knows exactly what I mean by that.
Report Post »JRook
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 11:22amPretty cowardly move by the Principal. Could gather the same information by interviewing the girls. Let‘s keep in mind that the majority of Bobby Knight’s players came to his defense. Coaching is all about getting players to put forth 100% of their effort. Not what they think is 100%, not what their mom thinks is 100%, but what the coach has observed and knows by expericne is 100%. Although it is reinforced by the participation fees that many schools have to charge for sports due to inadequate school funding, HS sports are not recreational. And if kids just want to participate for the sake of participating, then they should do just that, play on the Y and recreational teams.
Report Post »progressiveslayer
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 8:47amOh no the coach is yelling at the kids the world’s coming to an end ! What is wrong with these people? You want to raise a bunch of pansies what’s the BFD?
Mrs.Kravitz should do a little time for her idiocy.
Report Post »brntout
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 8:42amWow,big brother is on the loose. Why is it that if you play,you can’t be coached? Coaches coach and if you’re gonna be a sensitive little snot-nose,then stay at home and let the big kids play.
Report Post »Dismayed Veteran
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 8:38amIf Coach Austin didn’t yell, we would be in big trouble.
Report Post »SpankDaMonkey
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 8:35am.
OMG Wiretapping, but you can Beat A Baby and one of these Candyass Tuff on Crime Texas Judges will slap the guy on the wrist and give him 90 days……..
TEXAS SUCKS nothing but Steers & Q’s and Stump Jumpers……..It’s a Shame Glenn thinks this is a Great Place. Sometimes I think he went back to drinking……..
Report Post »blanco5
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 9:04amTX USED to be great but thanks to being saturated with illegals and their lefty sympathizers, it now sucks.
Report Post »Detroit paperboy
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 11:25amSpank, either let it go, or go up behind him in a parking lot with a bat and take care of that lo life yourself, it’s eating you up…….don’t let it…..and you can’t judge all of Texas by the actions of one dumb judge…….stay happy my friend !
Report Post »chazmo
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 3:30pm@Blanco05 Katrina didn’t do you guys any favors either…
Report Post »Freedombeliever
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 10:10pmYou’re being a jerk Spank. New York and California suck. Texas does not. I’ve lived here for 35 years. The only thing that sucks about TX is our hot summers. There are lawmakers that make poor decisions in EVERY state. It is not a reflection of the state itself. At least we don’t have the mayor of Dallas forbidding us to purchase a 16 oz soft drink. That heck-hole that is NY is where Glenn comes from and not only Glenn but most of his staff love it here. How could they not? The further away from liberals, the better!
Report Post »Blazebanned
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 8:33amAn obummer voter no doubt……Hope she get the max on the wiretap charge.
Report Post »TJeff2112
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 8:30amCoaches yell, what’s the big whoop. This country has become a bunch of *******.
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