A man accused of recording high school girls undressing has pleaded guilty in federal court. Timothy Burnette was arrested in January on the campus of Oconee County High School. He was indicted on two federal counts of child pornography and a state charge of unlawful eavesdropping or surveillance. Oconee County Sheriff Scott Berry says the former custodian pled guilty to one count of attempted child pornography. Burnette has not yet been sentenced.
“He’s in federal custody awaiting sentencing,” according to Berry. “We are very pleased with the way the U. S. Attorney took this case and got it through the system very quickly. They did a great job working together with us. He’s been in custody nonstop since we arrested him. This is an excellent resolution to the case.”
The former custodian pled guilty to one count of attempted possession of child pornography. Burnette has not yet been sentenced, the charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years.
Sheriff Berry says Burnette is likely to serve between two and four years in prison, but the judge has discretion to shorten or lengthen the term.
The Sheriff says investigators did find videos on the device. He says victims in the video were notified before the plea and they were able to meet with authorities.
“A student discovered a cell phone that was actually videotaping inside the women’s locker room at the Oconee County High School. We were able to identify him early on as being a suspect.”
He says victims in the video were notified before the plea and they were able to meet with authorities.
