GREEN BAY (NBC 26) -- (UPDATE) Feeling a lack of respect. That's what prosecutors say drove a local high school counselor to allegedly record women in a bathroom.
“I thought it had to be something incorrect. I thought they had the wrong person,” said Jessica Krcmar.
Thursday, Todd Naze made his first court appearance after being arrested Tuesday. He has been working at Green Bay Southwest High School for 14 years. A prosecutor says what led him to do this was a lack of respect and that he did it to people he didn’t like.
“The images and videos were of people at work who did not respect him. And he told her quote this is what happens when you do not respect me,” the state attorney said.
The prosecutor said his wife turned him in after they had an argument. She found the videos and pictures on his hard drive. Naze is accused of using an I-pod to capture the images in a staff bathroom that was near his office. While the case is still under investigation, they say 11 females have been identified, but that number could be an upwards of 30. The state adds, the video spanned from August 2016 to April or May of 2018. Prosecutors say they're not sure if any students were in the videos.
Jessica Krcmar has students that go to Southwest High. She told us, she and her kids were completely shocked when they heard the news. Adding, it’s opened the door for a lot of unfortunate conversations.
“You have to talk about right from wrong,” she said. “You have to talk about waiting to know if people are guilty, or innocent until proven guilty, and talk to them about trust. Just because there may be a good person who did a bad thing, it doesn’t mean it erases the positive things they feel about him and that they can’t trust other authority figures.”
The school says they've searched every bathroom and have not found any recording devices. Krcmar adds she hopes the school will be able to move forward from this; as well as her kids.
“I hope they can still hang on to those good memories, while appreciating the fact this is an adult situation. And that there will be legal ramicifications and just to move forward in any way they can and support each other."
Naze's bond was set at $50,000 cash.
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A Green Bay Southwest school counselor may have recorded video of staff members in a staff bathroom, the school district says in a statement.
The Green Bay Area Public School District said Thursday it learned from a preliminary investigation from Green Bay Police that Todd Naze may have video recorded staff members with hidden surveillance equipment in a staff bathroom.
"As a precautionary measure, all Southwest bathrooms have been searched and no surveillance equipment was located in any of the bathrooms in the building," the school district's statement said.
The school district also said through the investigation, video evidence was discovered, which is being reviewed by law enforcement.
"The police department has communicated to the District that review of the video will be done with discretion and great sensitivity," says the school district. "As individual victims are identified, the police department will be reaching out to the individuals and they will be provided resources from law enforcement."
The District will provide support to staff and students by having Employee Resource Center staff and additional student services staff available at school.
School counselor Todd Naze was placed on non-paid administrative earlier this week, the school district said in a previous statement released New Year's Day. Online Brown County Jail records show Naze (pictured above) was arrested on charges of disorderly conduct, witness intimidation, invading privacy using a surveillance device, and capturing an image of nudity.
