CHARLOTTE — Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said they discovered hundreds of photos of women on the phone of former private school administrator Scott Michael Waybright.
The former assistant head of school for academics at Charlotte Country Day was arrested on Friday and charged with five counts of felony secret peeping and five counts of possessing a photographic image obtained in violation of the peeping statute.
The 58-year-old man took inappropriate photos of students and random women, according to court documents. He had 10 to 12 images of potential students and employees on his laptop, according to the Charlotte Observer.
The former administrator has been banned from the school where he worked for nearly 30 years.
The school had a private investigator conduct a forensic exam on his work phone and laptop and found “inappropriate photos,” including “hundreds of photos of women’s legs and butts,” according to court documents.
They were all turned over to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.
Several photos “appear to be students at the school” and “unknown women in public places such as the grocery store and swimming pools,” although it’s unclear which ones, investigators said.
No one came to the Waybright’s door when a Channel 9 crew went to his house on Monday.
A neighbor, who asked not to be identified, said she was there when police moved in.
“It was absolutely shocking,” the woman said. “I mean we were all overwhelmed by what we heard. It frankly made us completely sick to our stomach because he works at a school and he’s worked at a school for so long.”
A teacher at the school first reported an incident last year about a student who said Waybright was taking photos of her, according to court records.
The head of school at the time looked through Waybright’s phone but reportedly didn’t find anything.
However, the reporting teacher “apparently did not feel the situation was handled properly” and “believed the student.”
The private investigator was then hired who allegedly found everything.
“The behavior is creepy and sickening, to be honest,” the neighbor said.
There was another complaint made about him in 2017, according to a court affidavit.
A man said he believed Waybright took pictures of his wife in the library but no evidence was found.
The school sent a letter to parents last week.
Waybright’s attorney appeared in court Monday on his behalf.
He is out on bond.
The school plans to form a task force bringing in national experts and hire two more security workers.
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