FORT MILL, S.C.,None — Fort Mill police have arrested a teenage boy accused of taking pictures of at least one girl inside a high school girls' bathroom.
Family members of Alex Mayer, 18, told Eyewitness News they are sorry for the pain he's caused.
Mayer's stepfather, Gerald Privette, was visibly distraught as he explained to Eyewitness News that he had no idea why his stepson would do something like that.
"The fact that he would do that, it blows me away. It blows me away," said Privette.
Mayer is a senior at Fort Mill High School. He was arrested Friday afternoon, a day after a girl student said she heard "what sounded like a camera shutter and a flash" inside the bathroom.
Police said Mayer admitted he was taking photos in the girls' room.
Privette said he was sorry for his stepson'sbehavior and wanted to apologize to the victims.
"Why do you think he'd do something like that?" asked Eyewitness News.
"It's beyond me. It is beyond me. I really don't know, because he's not raised that way," Privette said.
Privette said Mayer is a quiet and withdrawn teenager, but said he's never been in trouble before.
He has not yet had a chance to discuss the incident with his stepson.
"What do you plan on saying?" asked Eyewitness News.
"What were you thinking?" he replied. "What are you thinking, son? You know that's not right. It's very, very wrong, and I just don't understand why he would even do that."
Mayer is charged with first-degree voyeurism, which is a misdemeanor. He could face a $500 fine and up to three years in prison.
His family met privately with the principal. The school hasn't decided if he will face additional punishment, such as suspension or expulsion.