A high school football coach in California has been arrested after police say students found a cell phone belonging to him set up and recording them in the boys’ locker room.
Jeffrey Pribble, who has been coaching at Tracy High School since 2004 and has been head coach since 2021, was arrested on Friday, September 11, and charged with a misdemeanor related to using a hidden camera to secretly record someone without their knowledge in a place where they have a reasonable expectation of privacy.
Students at the school allegedly discovered the phone while it was recording them changing in the locker room. They then stopped the recording, deleted the footage and handed the phone in to a staff member, according to northern California’s KCRA.
Pribble was issued a citation but was not booked into Joaquin County Jail. KCRA reports he was processed at the police station and released.
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Pribble is on leave from the school as the investigation continues.
“We are deeply concerned about the allegations and remain focused on protecting the safety of our students,” the Tracy Unified School District said in a statement.
The district also sent a letter to families where it reaffirmed its commitment to student safety.
“We understand that this news may raise serious concerns in the District community,” the letter read. “The District too is concerned about the well-being of its students and staff and is committed to holding its employees to the highest professional and ethical standards.”
Pribble is no longer listed as the varsity head football coach on Tracy High School’s website as of Wednesday, September 16. Instead, Johnnie Oh is listed as interim head coach. Their most recent game was a 56-0 blowout win over Lathrop High School on Friday. The undefeated Bulldogs have outscored opponents, 146-27, through three games this season.
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“They stayed focused all night, not allowing any distractions or the moment get to them,” assistant coach Justin Evans said in his press conference after the game. “Our offensive line was amazing tonight. We had time to pass and the running lanes were wide open.”
Meanwhile, students at Tracy High School expressed their surprise over the arrest. In addition to coaching football, Pribble was also a PE teacher.
“It feels weird because I wasn’t there. I don’t have any more. So just hearing about something that could have affected me personally makes me kind of, like, wary about, you know, how other students are going to be affected by this,” junior David Reynoso told KCRA.
Another student, who chose to remain anonymous, said Pribble had tried to urge him to join the football team.
“He was trying to get me to join football, but that’s not really my thing,” he said. “I see him every day, almost.”
