A former Vermont high school principal accused of secretly recording teenage girls has been sentenced to five years in prison.
The Valley News reports a Superior Court judge handed down the sentence to 57-year-old Dean Stearns on Thursday. The charges stem from a period between 2016 and late 2017, when Stearns used hidden cameras to film five teenage girls in his home.
Prosecutors say two of the girls were living with him temporarily, and three were visiting friends at his house.
He was arrested after one of the victims discovered the camera in the bathroom. Stearns addressed the victims in court and apologized for the way he “exploited the situation.”
