Patrick Lott, an assistant middle school principal and Catholic high school volunteer, was accused of secretly filming teenage boys as they showered at school.
Patrick Lott, 54, of Somerville, New Jersey was arrested after videos of nude teenagers were allegedly found in his home.
Somerset County police raided Patrick Lott’s house earlier this month and seized computer files and digital recordings, reports New Jersey’s The Star-Ledger.
Detectives also discovered several videos, spanning over a period of nearly three years, of nude teenagers showering in the Immaculata High School boys’ communal shower area, according to authorities.
Nine of the teenagers identified in the videos, which date back to January 2008, are currently under the age of 16.
Detectives also found the area where a camera had been installed for video recording, reports the Ledger.
Patrick Lott has been the assistant principal at Bernardsville Middle School since 2009 and was working as a volunteer at Immaculata, a Catholic School.
Jack Bennett, spokesman for the prosecutor’s office, declined to say what work Patrick Lott did with Immaculata, reports the Ledger.
Patrick Lott was also active in local politics and ran for a Somerset County freeholder seat around 20 years ago.
The Republican’s most recent run for public office was in 2009, when he failed in a bid for a Somerville council seat.
As a high school wrestling coach for over a decade, Patrick Lott won the Courier News’ Boys Basketball Coach of the Year in 1998.
Patrick Lott told the Courier News in 2002: “I enjoyed the interaction with the kids. You become attached to the kids you coach.”
The principal faces charges of child endangerment and invasion of privacy.
Patrick Lott is remanded at Somerset County Jail with bail set at $500,000, reports the Ledger.
The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is urged to contact the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Unit at (908) 575-3300,Somerset County Crime Stoppers Tip Line at 1-888-577-8477, or online at www.somersetcountycrimestoppers.org.
