A night that should have ended with a normal walk back to the dorms has turned into a criminal case at Wilmington College in Ohio. Police say Jayson Barker, a custodian employed by outside vendor Scioto, hid above the drop ceiling in the women’s soccer locker room on Tuesday night, where eleven players were changing. A phone appeared from the ceiling, followed by a camera flash, and a player reported it immediately. Campus security held Barker until officers arrived.
Barker now faces 11 counts of voyeurism, one for each player in the room. He was booked on a $22,000 bond before posting bail, and prosecutors say the investigation is still active with detectives reviewing evidence for possible additional charges. His next court appearance is set for October 5th. Barker told police he was in the ceiling reading the Bible on his phone and denied taking any photos. Investigators say he also told them there was an unloaded shotgun in his car parked on campus.
Wilmington College has cut ties with Scioto and says it’s providing counseling to the students who were in the locker room. The case raises larger questions about how thoroughly colleges screen and supervise contract workers who have access to private spaces. Should schools be more transparent about who those vendors are and what oversight they receive? Drop your thoughts in the comments.
