Ex-Kennedale coach pleads guilty to videotaping teachers undressing

A former Kennedale assistant football coach pleaded guilty Friday to videotaping teachers and students with a hidden camera in a faculty restroom.

A thumb drive found in a Kennedale High School faculty restroom last year contained videos of six teachers and two students undressing, all taped by Jason Tomlinson, 30, of Mansfield.

Tomlinson appeared in Criminal District Court No. 2 on Friday morning with his attorney Lex Johnston of Hurst and was taken into custody after pleading guilty.

Dressed in a dark suit and accompanied by his family, Tomlinson showed no emotion as he entered his plea before state District Judge Wayne Salvant.

Tomlinson, who had been free on bail, pleaded guilty to improper photography or visual recording and child pornography, a charge that stems from the videos of students. He will be sentenced Wednesday morning.

Both Johnston and prosecutor Martin Purselley declined to comment Friday.

A male teacher found the 3-by-1-inch camera in March 2014 when it fell from the underside of a sink as he washed his hands, according to arrest and search warrant affidavits.

School officials alerted police, and Tomlinson became a suspect when officers watched a video in which he inadvertently captured images of his face as he placed the camera under the sink, according to the affidavit.

The camera had been placed there with Velcro tape. Police also found tape under another sink in a second faculty restroom.

The videos showed male and female teachers and students using the restroom, exposing their buttocks and genitals. Officers found several folders on the camera labeled with teachers’ names, according to the affidavits. Folders also identified the students, starting with “Wildcats,” the high school’s mascot.

“Each video had been categorized by teacher name and contained rating comments such as ‘fine’ or ‘good,’” according to the affidavits.

Tomlinson was placed on administrative leave at the time and is no longer with the district, school officials said.

Officers also removed computer equipment from Tomlinson’s home, Kennedale Police Chief Tommy Williams said.

Tomlinson was a standout athlete at Kennedale High School, where he graduated in 2003. According to his biography on the Navy football website, navysports.com, he also attended the U.S. Naval Academy.

His LinkedIn page shows he went to work at Kennedale High School in January 2013.

This report includes material from the Star-Telegram archives.

This story was originally published September 4, 2015 at 11:22 AM with the headline "Ex-Kennedale coach pleads guilty to videotaping teachers undressing."