MEDFORD — A Lenape High School chemistry teacher rigged a camera in his briefcase so that he could film up the skirts of girls in the school as he passed them in the hallway, according to the Burlington County Prosecutor.

Eric Howell, 43, of Maple Shade, allegedly hid a camera in a coconut water box that he put in his briefcase in a way that would let him film up the skirts, Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina said. School officials were first alerted to Howell's behavior on May 2 when Coffina said someone reported seeing him "passing behind a female student and extending his arm sideways in an attempt to position the camera under her skirt."

After getting the report, Coffina said the school contacted police and barred Howell from the school and all school events. Coffina said several digital storage devices were found during the execution of a search warrant, which are now being analyzed by his office's High-Tech Crimes Unit.

Howell has been charged with two counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, one count of second-degree official misconduct, and four counts of third-degree invasion of privacy. According to Coffina he has taught chemistry at the school since 2016.

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