Feb. 19--Photographs taken of boys in a locker room at Cary-Grove High School have prompted a criminal investigation, Cary police said.
The photos were taken without the students' knowledge and, though they don't show any nudity, they "depicted several students in various stages of undress," according to a police news release.
Authorities said they believe two boys were responsible for taking the photos on a cellphone and have turned the matter over to the McHenry County state's attorney's office to determine whether the boys will be charged in juvenile court under a law that prohibits unauthorized recording of a person in a locker room, bathroom, changing room, tanning salon or hotel room.
There is no evidence the photographs were "disseminated to anyone beyond those involved," the release said, and none of the boys in the images was identifiable.
Still, Cary Deputy Chief Jim Fillmore said police and school officials are taking this incident "very seriously."
"People have a very high expectation of privacy when in locker rooms, that is why (the law) criminalized it," he said.
School officials contacted police about the photos on Tuesday. A school representative could not immediately be reached Friday, but Fillmore said they sent a notice out to alert parents to the incident and to encourage them to talk about such behavior with their children.
Amanda Marrazzo is a freelance reporter.
