DELAND, Fla. — Images of nude children were found on an iPad that an eighth-grade Catholic school math teacher lost at a Walmart, according to the DeLand Police Department.
Investigators said Joshua Waguespack, 33, admitted using miniature cameras and an iPad to spy on underage students, and record inappropriate videos.
Police said the cameras were the size of a pen and were hidden in a storage closet.
Late Friday night, Saint Peter's Catholic School leaders said they would provide counseling for students.
Waguespack had lost his iPad at the Walmart in DeLand. The person who found the iPad had accessed it, trying to determine who owned it. While doing so, images were found on the iPad that the person described to officers as "nude photos of children."
Waguespack would download the pictures he took into his iPad and his iPhone.
The woman who found the iPad said she lost sleep over the whole ordeal.
Tina Anderson said the words are too harsh for television to describe her thoughts on Waguespack.
"I can't say what I saw, it's that bad. Your worst thought, is the worst, what I saw," said Anderson.
Waguespack was in court on Friday for the first time since his arrest late Thursday night for taking pictures of 12-and 13-year-old girls, police said.
"You were or are a teacher?" asked the judge.
"I was a teacher," replied Waguespack.
DeLand police said he would pen cameras on shelves in a storage closet in his classroom, which is where girls would change before or after gym class.
After leaving the iPad at Walmart, Waguespack was able to track it down with an iPhone app to Anderson's neighborhood, where he was going door-to-door looking for it.
A neighbor told Anderson about it.
"I said, 'Well I've got the iPod, iPad," said Anderson.
Police said they were already at Anderson's home when Waguespack got it back, and he started deleting pictures.
However, detectives said they still found some photos on his iPhone, and he admitted to having them.
"It's just really sad. Children are the most innocent thing in the world and for anything or anybody to take advantage of that is just a sad state," parent David Baez said.
According to a statement issued by the school, Waguespack was fired on April 15.
The Principal also sent an e-mail to all parents that said not to blame the kids. The e-mail said, "this event is not their fault! They did not cause it nor is it their responsibility to correct it. That is for grown ups to do. A person we trusted has allegedly betrayed this community."
Waguespack was booked into the Volusia County Correctional Facility with no bail. He is charged with two felony counts of video voyeurism and tampering with evidence, police said.
The victims in the case are not being identified, due to their ages.
WFTV
