Police have submitted 98 counts of voyeurism and two counts of bestiality against a former Tempe Union High School District employee who was accused of downloading footage of students undressing.
In August, former district surveillance officer Antony Cruz was accused of downloading footage from security cameras of girls changing in the dance room while the girls' locker room was undergoing renovations. He initially faced seven counts of voyeurism.
Erin Pellett, Maricopa County Attorney General's Office spokesperson, confirmed the charges, saying they were under review and a charging decision had not been made. Pellett declined to provide further information.
It was unclear if the bestiality charges involved Cruz's time at Tempe Union, or if footage
was found separately on his devices during the investigation. The Tempe Police Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment, saying that comment would not be provided until after the Oct. 12 holiday.
Megan Sterling, a Tempe Union spokesperson, said the district's understanding was that the voyeurism charges were based on how many times a girl appeared in a video, not based on how many girls were in the videos in total. For example, if a girl was seen in five different videos, that would equate to five voyeurism charges, she said.
Cruz, 28, who was arrested on Aug. 22, was accused of watching the footage for weeks in July after students returned to school. He downloaded video clips ranging from 4 minutes to 2 hours long, and eventually viewed the videos and photos from his home in Phoenix on a Saturday, according to court documents. He told investigators he looked at the images 50 times.
The district faced mounting pressure as parents demanded answers at a September school board meeting. The district previously said the cameras were installed in the room in 2024 because of security concerns, though some parents said the girls have been changing in the dance room for years.
The Tempe Police Department has cleared the district itself of any criminal charges, and Cruz was the only staff member identified as a suspect.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 98 voyeurism charges sought for ex-Corona del Sol surveillance officer
