CHITTENANGO, NY -- State troopers are investigating allegations that three high school boys secretly videotaped seven girls changing into their bathing suits at two summer parties in Madison County.

State police expect to charge two 15-year-old boys and a 16-year-old boy by Monday with unlawful surveillance over the videos taken at a home in Sullivan and a home in Cazenovia, Trooper Jack Keller said.

Seven girls, ages 15 and 16, were victims of the hidden cameras while they were changing into or out of their bathing suits, Keller said.

One was in the cellar of one home and the other was in a bedroom, he said.

"They thought it was a private room," Keller said. "They did not know these devices were on."



Investigators are looking into allegations that the boys used an iPad, an iPod and a digital camera that was recording without their knowledge, Keller said.



State police found out about the recordings Oct. 13 when they were notified by the parents of one victim, Keller said. The recordings were made in July and August, he said.

State police are working with the Madison County District Attorney's Office to decide whether the 16-year-old boy should be charged criminally, as an adult, Keller said. The unlawful surveillance charge would be a felony if he's charged as an adult.

Whether he's charged as an adult or a juvenile depends on whether that boy had turned 16 at the time of the alleged crimes, the trooper said.

The two 15-year-old boys will face charges in family court, Keller said.

There's no evidence that the video was posted on the Internet or disseminated to others, Keller said.

State police executed search warrants at the two homes Thursday, he said. They took evidence into custody. The state police computer crimes unit is going through that evidence, he said.

The boys and girls were students at Chittenango High School. The school district has fully cooperated in the investigation, Keller said.

Chittenango schools Superintendent Michael Schiedo said the district conducted an investigation and "handled the situation appropriately through our Code of Conduct." He said he was forbidden by a federal student-privacy law from disclosing the outcome.

"The fact that (the law) protects the privacy rights of all students and legally constrains the District from disclosing disciplinary information creates the misperception by some parents and community members that the district is unresponsive to their concerns," Schiedo said in a written statement.

"To the extent that I can correct those misperceptions, I assure the community that the District takes these allegations very seriously and will deal with them in a manner that is consistent with our Code of Conduct," Schiedo wrote.



Contact John O'Brien at jobrien@syracuse.com or 315-470-2187.