High School Football Coach Arrested After Students Discover Phone Set Up to Record in the Locker Room

A football coach at a high school in California was arrested and accused of placing a recording device inside one of the students’ locker rooms.

The Tracy Police Department issued a press release on Saturday, September 12, revealing that Jeffrey Pribble, a teacher and football coach at Tracy High School, was arrested on September 10 after police were contacted by a concerned parent.

According to the release, a student and several classmates discovered a phone set to record them in the locker room while they were changing. The students stopped the recording, deleted the video and turned the phone over to a teacher. Eventually, a parent called the police and an investigation began.

The phone was determined to belong to Pribble, 48, who was arrested and placed on leave pending the outcome of the investigation by the Tracy Unified School District. His exact charges were not made clear in the press release.

“Our children deserve to feel safe at school and in every space where they should be able to learn, grow, and simply be kids,” said Tracy Police Chief Sekou Millington. “Protecting the safety, privacy, and well-being of our students is a responsibility we take seriously. We are grateful to the students who brought this incident to the attention of adults and to the officers and detectives who acted quickly to investigate.”

Meanwhile, Tracy High School principal Jon Waggle sent an email to parents acknowledging the arrest without naming Pribble, according to a report from Pleasanton Weekly.

“We understand that this news may raise serious concerns in the District community,” Waggle wrote. “The District too is concerned about the well-being of its students and staff and is committed to holding its employees to the highest professional and ethical standards.”

“Moving forward, the District will continue to work with law enforcement and take any and all necessary actions to protect students,” he continued. “Tracy High School and all our Tracy Unified schools are proud of being safe schools. The cooperation between students, parents and staff members keeps our schools safe and is important and appreciated. Thank you for your continued partnership and support.”

Police say the investigation is ongoing.