Custodian accused of hiding camera in school bathroom

By Eva Chidester, Pashtana Usufzy

Published Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2015 | 2:20 p.m.

Updated Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2015 | 4:40 p.m.

A part-time custodian has been accused of hiding a camera in a staff bathroom at a Summerlin elementary school, authorities said.

Gary Wayne Higbee, who had worked at Givens Elementary School since September, has been terminated as an employee of the Clark County School District, officials said.

He was arrested about 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 22 at his home after a female teacher told police she found the device next to a silk plant on a sink counter, according to an arrest report by School District Police.

School District officials first reported the case publicly on Monday.

The three victims captured on camera were all teachers, and no children had access to the bathroom, officials said.

“Based on our investigation, we are extremely confident no children were impacted,” School District Police Sgt. Mitch Maciszak said at a news conference today.

A systematic search of the school did not reveal any other recording devices, officials said.

Higbee has been released on bail on three gross misdemeanor counts of capturing an image of a person’s private areas and is scheduled for a preliminary court hearing March 9.

The digital video recorder, which had a broken screen, was placed in a case decorated with flowers, the arrest report said.

The teacher who found the device said she noticed a male custodian lingering in front of the teachers’ lounge, and another woman said she noticed the night custodian checking the bathroom frequently, according to the arrest report.

Administrators identified Higbee from surveillance video, the report said.

Police said they recovered five videos from the recorder showing three separate people putting the toilet seat down, exposing their buttocks and sitting on the toilet, the arrest report said.

The video also showed a male with a black leather jacket, blue jeans, and athletic shoes wearing a Clark County School District ID badge, police said.

Police allege Higbee admitted to taking the camera from Southwest Airlines, where he was employed as a ramp agent, and confessed to intending to record people in the bathroom.

A Southwest Airlines spokesman said Higbee is no longer a company employee.

Damian Sheets, Higbee’s attorney, said his client intends to plead not guilty and said he was unaware of any confession to police.

He asked the public to keep an open mind about the case. “I do believe that there is a defense to the charge,” he said.

He also questioned the “strategic” timing of the press conference, saying he was unaware the School District intended to hold one.