Loudoun County school employee accused of ‘upskirting' students, police say

PURCELLVILLE, Va. - Authorities have arrested a Loudoun County Public Schools employee after he was accused of upskirting at Woodgrove High School.

Samuel Hermens is facing three felony charges of unlawful filming and is being held without bond.

The 30-year-old, who currently resides in West Virginia, has worked with students and staff with Loudoun County Public Schools for nearly a decade. Officials say he works as an itinerant employee in the reading program with the school district. Because of this, he is not assigned to a specific school. He has been suspended without pay.

However, an observant Woodgrove teacher caught Hermens allegedly filming under the skirts of female students in a hallway and reported him to a school resource officer Friday morning, authorities say.

"The teacher was very alert," said Loudoun County Public Schools spokesperson Wayde Byard. "They did exactly what they were supposed to do. They went to the administration, they got the [school resource officer], they got the sheriff's office involved. So this was a case of our training paying off."

The school system sent three emails to parents Friday afternoon.

The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office says it is actively investigating whether there could be other potential victims in the school district.