High School custodian caught peeping female student in restroom: Charges

NEW HOPE, Minn. (FOX 9) - A custodian employed by a temporary service provider with Robbinsdale Public Schools faces charges after he was allegedly caught peering over the bathroom stall of a minor student before she spotted and reported him.

Cooper High School custodian charged

What we know:

John Ezekiel Brown, 51, of Brooklyn Center, is charged with felony interference with the privacy of a minor after an incident that allegedly occurred within Cooper High School in New Hope.

According to charges filed in Hennepin County, on Oct. 28, the New Hope Police Department received a report of a custodian spying on a student in the restroom.

Police say they spoke with a 15-year-old female student who reported that she was at the school for an after-school activity and went to use a restroom on the second floor and had to wait while a custodian – later identified as Brown – cleaned the facility.

Charges say that she entered the restroom after Brown said she could.

However, when she closed the stall door, charges allege that one minute later she saw Brown looking at her from over the top of the stall – reporting that she could see his face and eyes.

At that point, she told police that she gasped, which led to him apologizing and running out of the facility, charges state.

Police investigation

Dig deeper:

As part of an investigation, police reviewed surveillance footage that shows Brown entering the restroom before the victim, but then leaving to grab a towel before returning again after her.

He then doesn’t exit the bathroom again for nearly three minutes – only a moment before she is then seen sprinting out.

What they're saying:

Robbinsdale Cooper High School Principal Shaunece Smith released a statement to families acknowledging the charges that said, in part: "Because the individual was not a Robbinsdale Area Schools employee but a temporary service provider, we were not provided updates or details regarding the investigation and law enforcement action prior to the public announcement regarding this situation.

"We take situations like this extremely seriously. The safety and well-being of our students is our highest priority, and we are grateful to the student who reported concerns so that immediate action could be taken."