Former Fullerton police officer accused of videotaping up high school student’s skirt faces criminal charges
A former Fullerton police officer accused of secretly photographing and videotaping up a high school student’s skirt, while on duty, was charged Monday with disorderly conduct, prosecutors announced.
Jose Anthony Paez, a former Fullerton police school resource officer, could face up to a year in jail if convicted of the misdemeanor offense, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
The charge filed Monday, Aug. 26, followed accusations that Paez was acting inappropriately while on duty, which sparked the Fullerton Police Department to conduct an internal investigation, officials said. Investigators reviewed the last five years of Paez’s body camera contacts and some of what they found was presented to the District Attorney’s office for filing consideration, Fullerton police spokesman Jon Radus said.
The investigation revealed several photos and video clips, taken on Paez’s personal cell phone in November 2017, that were shot up the skirt of a 16-year-old high school student while he was conducting a police investigation on school grounds.
Officials declined to disclose the high school that Paez was working at.
“Law enforcement officers are entrusted with a tremendous amount of authority and trust,” District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a statement. “The actions this officer engaged in betrayed that trust and preyed on the very people he was charged with protecting.”
Fullerton Police Chief Bob Dunn said in a statement that he fully supports the District Attorney’s office to go forward with the charges.
“All Fullerton Police Department employees understand the high expectations of the profession of policing,” he said, “and support accountability when those expectations are not met.”
Last year, while conducting a separate investigation, Fullerton police discovered potential criminal conduct by Paez. Detectives then conducted an investigation, in which Paez was removed from public contact and assigned to desk duty.
After their investigation, Fullerton detectives requested that the District Attorney’s office review the case for filing criminal charges against Paez.
Paez’s employment with the Fullerton Police Department ended in May, according to a statement.
“While conduct of the type we uncovered erodes the community’s trust,” the Police Department’s statement read, “and is a true disappointment to our own members, we want everyone to know that the actions of this individual are not reflective of the character of everyone else who works at the Fullerton Police Department.”
Paez is scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday, Oct. 2 at the North Justice Center in Fullerton.
Editor’s note: This story was updated to clarify that complaints of inappropriate misconduct by former officer Jose Paez led to the Fullerton Police Department reviewing the last five years of body camera footage.