IMMOKALEE
School is supposed to be a safe place for children. But, a teacher is accused of committing crimes against them.
A Collier County elementary school teacher has been charged with a felony after deputies determined he placed a video camera in the restroom. It happened at Pinecrest Elementary School in Immokalee.
Diego Alberto Rojas-Pulido is facing one count of video voyeurism, which is a second degree felony. The Collier County Sheriff’s Office said three students discovered what appeared to be a video recording device in a toilet stall.
These toilets were across from the classroom where Rojas-Pulido was teaching on Tuesday. First, these students reported it to Rojas-Pulido who then ran to the bathroom to remove the camera. However, he did not report it to the school administration.
Then, on Wednesday, one of those same students told a school counselor about it. This counselor reported it to the school principal and the sheriff’s office. Collier’s deputies immediately removed Rojas-Pulido from the school.
On Thursday evening, deputies were called to Rojas-Pulido’s residence in Naples after he attempted to take his own life. He was later transported to a Lee County hospital. And, the CCSO served Rojas-Pulido with an arrest warrant Friday at the hospital.
David Thomas is a former police officer and professor at the FGCU. “When he goes to jail he’ll be put under observation, to make sure he can’t kill himself, usually what happens is they put somebody, they put them in a cell alone , and they monitor him, someone monitors him every 15 minutes or every half hour until it is determined that he is no longer a threat to himself,” Thomas said.
“My belief is that over there they’ll probably get a search warrant for his house and his computer,” Thomas said.
As the investigation continues, Collier County Public Schools sent WINK News a statement:
“We have been notified of the arrest by the Collier County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) of district employee, Diego Rojas. After learning of the allegations, CCPS immediately expelled Diego Rojas from the school and terminated his employment with the district. The matter is currently under criminal investigation and the district is cooperating with the CCSO. »
Parents with children in Pinecrest took to Facebook to talk about the arrest. A parent said they received a phone call Friday from the school even though it happened on Wednesday. Another parent expressed concern about his child’s reaction to the incident.
WINK News contacted the Collier County Sheriff’s Office and they said Rojas-Pulido would not be booked until he was released from the hospital. At this time, we do not have an update on his condition or when the doctors will release him.
WINK News will keep you posted as we learn more about this case.
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