Janitor charged with hiding camera in high school girls locker room

Sep. 30—ANDERSON, Mo. — A McDonald County High School janitor purportedly told investigators that he hid a camera in the girls locker room there because he was "lonely" and liked looking at pretty girls' bodies.

Students at the high school in Anderson discovered the camera Friday and turned it in to school officials, leading to the arrest of school janitor Rodger Copeland, 53, of Neosho.

Copeland is charged with sexual exploitation of minors, possession of child pornography and invasion of privacy. He remained in custody Monday at the county jail in Pineville with no bond set pending a court hearing Wednesday.

A probable-cause affidavit filed in the case states that a search warrant was obtained and the camera examined by investigators with the McDonald County sheriff's office after being notified of the discovery by school officials. The document states that Copeland was identified as a suspect in a review of video footage retrieved from the camera.

During an interview at the sheriff's office following his arrest, the janitor purportedly admitted that he placed the camera in the locker room, explaining that he "wanted to experiment, and wanted to look at the girls' bodies and faces because they were pretty."

Copeland further stated that his motives had "a lot" to do "with him being lonely," according to the court document.

The suspect faces the possibility of up to 15 years in prison if convicted of the most serious count, sexual exploitation of minors. The pornography count is punishable by up to seven years and the invasion of privacy count up to four years.

Jeff Lehr is a reporter for The Joplin Globe.