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App State employee accused of hiding phone in girls dorm bathroom

BOONE, N.C. — A 49-year-old Appalachian State University employee is accused of hiding a cellphone in a bathroom vent on campus, police said.

On Oct. 15, Appalachian State’s police department received a report that the phone was in the third-floor bathroom in Eggers Residence Hall, which is an all-girls dorm filled with mostly freshmen.

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APD seized the phone and arrested facilities operations employee Jerry Alan McGlamery, of Wilkes County, for secret peeping. McGlamery was taken into custody on Oct. 22.

By the following morning, the entire ventilation system in the building was inspected and measures were made to ensure there was no access to any bathroom vents, officials said.

Channel 9 learned the bathroom where the phone was found has five showerheads and nearly two dozen coeds use them every day. The university said the mobile phone was found in a vent of the third-floor bathroom which students said can be accessed from a janitor’s closet.

It’s still unclear how long the phone was in the vent system and if it recorded any students.

“I was just disgusted,” said Kayla Pereira. “This is supposed to be a very safe space for us and it wasn’t -- at all.”

University staff met with resident assistants and students in Eggers Hall to provide information about the incident and offer support.

“It just makes you think how long was it there, and has it happened before and not gotten found,” student Kayla Pereira said.

McGlamery has been placed on investigatory leave and is not allowed back on campus.

The investigation is ongoing.

Return to this story for updates.

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