Accused of recording girls changing clothes in the El Campo High School auditorium, an 18-year-old El Campo man surrendered at the Wharton County Jail Thursday morning.
The two counts of making an invasive visual recording that Jaylin Makhi Hawkins now faces may not be the only charges filed against him, El Campo Police Detective Sgt. Ryan Schaer said.
“It’s still an ongoing investigation. We did find other victims,” he said, adding the department is in the process of trying to identify victims. “It’s mixed, both boys and girls,” he added, saying other recordings were made at other times and do not appear to have been made on the high school campus.
A cell phone believed to be Hawkins’ was seized Feb. 28 after a girl spotted it hidden and recording in the girls auditorium dressing room.
Both students captured in a state of undress were girls at least 17 years old. The video had not been uploaded anywhere and the phone was seized before anyone would have been able to view its contents.
Police have found multiple additional videos on the phone.
“That’s the part we’re still going through,” Schaer said, adding that police have not found any indication that the videos were upload to the Internet or even to another electronic device.
“It appears it was for his own personal gratification,” Schaer said.
Police did not seize any other electronic devices from Hawkins or his home.
Concerned parents have been reaching out to the ECPD since news of the first recording broke. No one else has been identified yet, Schaer said, adding he is telling parents, “If your son or daughter is located on video, you will hear directly from me.”
Making an invasive recording is a state jail felony punishable by six months to two years in prison per count with a fine of up to $10,000 if a person is convicted. The charge can be enhanced based on the age of the victim or the circumstances depicted.
Hawkins has no previous criminal record that the department is aware of, Schaer said. Booked into the Wharton County Jail at 7:19 a.m. Thursday, Hawkins posted $16,000 in bonds that same day and was released at 3:10 p.m.
At ECHS, Hawkins was apparently a popular senior, having been elected Homecoming King in September. He was in the drama department’s STARS, having appeared on stage and was on the Ricebird football team.
The school district is handling a separate disciplinary case against Hawkins and will not disclose the outcome of a specific student’s punishment. State disciplinary code allows for placement in an alternative school.
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