DOCUMENT: K-12, Crime

Student, 18, Arrested Over Bathroom Video

Victim secretly filmed masturbating at school

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H.S. Bathroom Video

NOVEMBER 8--A student who secretly recorded a classmate masturbating in a high school bathroom is facing a felony charge after he distributed video of the victim, who told Florida police the incident has left him feeling suicidal.

According to cops, Armando Flores, 18, was arrested Wednesday for allegedly distributing material harmful to minors. Seen at right, Flores was released yesterday from the Manatee County jail.

Investigators allege that Flores, who attends Braden River High School in Bradenton, “secretly video recorded” over the top of a bathroom partition as a male student was masturbating inside a stall.

The explicit video then “spread throughout the school,” according to a police report.

Upon learning of the clip’s existence, a school resource officer began an investigation that “tracked the video to its source,” Flores. The teen reportedly “admitted to the offense,” noted an investigator, who added that the video was found on the teenage suspect’s phone.

In light of the wide distribution of the video--which appears to have been recorded earlier this week--a cop had the victim involuntarily hospitalized “for being suicidal as a result of this incident.”

If convicted of the felony count, Flores faces a maximum of five years in prison and a $5000 fine. Additionally, he could be placed on the state’s sex offender registry. (2 pages)