TAYLORSVILLE, N.C. – A North Carolina man, who is already locked-up on dozens of ‘secret peeping’ and ‘indecent liberties’ charges, has been slapped with more.
The following is a summary of events from the Alexander County Sheriff’s Office:
On December 1, 2020, a camera was found in a staff bathroom at Wittenburg Elementary School. The Alexander County Sheriff’s Office began an investigation and arrested Michael Justin Childers with one count of Felony Secret Peeping. Childers was employed as a custodian at Wittenburg Elementary School and Ellendale Elementary School.
Police said Childers was involved in secret peeping during his previous employment at a Walmart, and has been charged by the Alexander County Sheriff’s Office and Taylorsville Police Department with multiple counts of Felony Secret Peeping and Felony Indecent Liberties with a Minor. (The Indecent Liberties charges are a result of using a camera to Secretly Peep on a minor, and are not connected to the schools) The investigation has also revealed that a camera was placed in a staff bathroom at Ellendale Elementary School.
On Monday, March 8, 2021, Michael Justin Childers, W/M, age 32 of Taylorsville was additionally charged with one count of Felony Secret Peeping, one count of Felony Possession of Secret Peeping Material, and one count of Felony Indecent Liberties with a Minor. These charges stem from an ongoing investigation by the Alexander County Sheriff’s Office that began in December 2020 at Wittenburg Elementary School. Images were taken of a female student while inside a classroom with other students. The images were taken at a school function at Ellendale Elementary School in Alexander County in September 2017. There is no known physical or sexual contact with the victim. Childers was not employed by Alexander County Schools at this time, but was on campus for a school function. Sheriff Bowman has notified school authorities and the parent of the victim. Alexander County Schools is fully cooperating with the Alexander County Sheriff’s Office in this ongoing investigation.
Childers was given an additional secured bond of $30,000, bringing his total bond amount to $1,380,000. He has a first appearance date of Monday, March 15, 2021 in Alexander County District Court.
