An investigation into a hacked social media account and shared nude photos led to the arrest of a 17-year-old boy for suspicion of taking upskirt videos.
Vancouver police began their investigation Sept. 18 when a female student at Union High School reported the incident to the school resource officer, according to the Vancouver Police Department.
Someone had hacked into her social media accounts, accessed nude photos that were kept in a private section of the account and then distributed those photos to other students, police said.
On Thursday, detectives with the agency’s Digital Evidence Cybercrime Unit interviewed several students from the school.
Detectives also served a search warrant on 17-year-old Zachary Bridgeforth’s cellphone and found 16 upskirt videos that appeared to be taken with a cellphone. The videos were shot between May 6, 2016, and Sept. 14, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Clark County Juvenile Court.
All of the videos were shot at Union High School in classrooms, hallways, stairways, a building commons area and courtyard during class time, passing periods or lunch. In all of the videos, the female students do not appear to be aware that the filming is occurring, the affidavit states.
Bridgeforth is seen in at least four of the videos as the one filming, the court document said.
On Friday, police arrested Bridgeforth on suspicion of 15 counts of first-degree voyeurism. He appeared in the case in juvenile court Monday.
Gail Spolar, spokeswoman for Evergreen Public Schools, confirmed Bridgeforth is not currently at school. She did not disclose any possible disciplinary action against him, citing the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
Court records state that Bridgeforth’s family retained Vancouver attorney Steve Thayer to represent him. Bridgeforth was granted release but will remain under house arrest. He is not to have contact with Union High School.
Bridgeforth will be arraigned in juvenile court Oct. 9.
The investigation is ongoing, police said, and more charges and arrests are possible.
