The Star-Ledger
December 29, 2011
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/12/nj_boys_shower_videotape.html
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| Patrick J. Lott, 54, is arraigned on dozens of criminal charges after allegedly using a hidden camera to videotape boys in the Immaculata High School showers for a period of nearly three years. |
When Patrick Lott, an admired public figure, school official and civic leader in Somerville, made a cryptic Facebook post earlier this month, those who know him knew something ominous was coming.
"I have always given my best and tried to be a great role model," Lott posted on Dec. 9. "No one is perfect. Thanks for the memories."
Today, the Somerset County prosecutor announced Lott, an assistant principal at Bernardsville Middle School since 2009, is facing charges he secretly videotaped boys showering at Immaculata High School in Somerville, where he is a videographer.
Lott, 54, was arrested last week, after videos of nude teenagers showering were found in his home, Prosecutor Geoffrey Soriano said. According to the prosecutor, the videos showed teenagers in a boys’ communal shower area. Nine of the teenagers identified are under the age of 16.
Detectives later found an area near the shower where a camera had been covertly installed, authorities said.
According to a police affidavit, the recordings were made between January 2008 and Dec. 13 of this year.
Jack Bennett, a spokesman for the prosecutor, described Lott was a volunteer coach with the high school’s athletic department. "He had a camera hidden and he videotaped students who went to that school in the shower," Bennett said.
A reporter who covers boys basketball for a Star-Ledger news service said Lott regularly videotaped their home games. Several people also said Lott regularly videotaped the school’s football games and practices.
The arrest upended Somerville and its tightly knit school community. For those who know Lott, a former military man, volunteer coach, cancer survivor, husband and father, the arrest was baffllng.
"It's very upsetting to my whole family," said Melinda Roethke, whose son is a student-athlete at Immaculata. "Thank God my child wasn't one of the 15 interviewed by the prosecutor.
"I talked to my son about it and he's very upset. We have feelings of mixed emotions that include anger, violation, and sadness," she said.
In a statement, the Diocese of Metuchen said it was "greatly disturbed" to learn of the charges that led to Lott’s arrest, describing Lott as a former part-time football coach and volunteer at Immaculata.
The diocese said the school learned of the allegations of inappropriate conduct and notified Somerville Police and the prosecutor’s office. Lott was immediately removed from all involvement with the high school, the statement said.
The Star-Ledger obtained a letter from Sister Regina Havens, the Immaculata principal, to parents of students at the school. In the letter, Havens said an investigation has been under way for "several weeks."
She assured the parents that students’ "well-being and safety are always our first priority" and that administrators and guidance counselors will be available to students when school resumes Jan. 3.
Fred Howlett, who coaches with Immaculata’s junior varsity football team, said he has known Lott for years and Lott would typically film games and practices from a platform in the end zones. The game tapes were used by the team for study and to exchange with teams they were about to face.
Ironically, Howlett and Lott ran against each other for Somerset County freeholder in 1991. Even though Howlett won, he said he was still friendly with Lott and was "shocked" by the allegations.
"Wow, this will take a while to come to grips with," Howlett said. "I hope it’s not true. Pat is the last guy I would suspect. He’s a personable guy, someone who makes friends with everybody."
Lott, who has two adult stepchildren with his wife, Lois, and a daughter who attends Immaculata, earned a bachelor’s degree in business from Northeastern University and a master’s degree in educational administration from Seton Hall University, according to his school biography and LinkedIn page.
He served as a TV production teacher and a coach for wrestling, basketball and tennis at Montgomery High School in the 1990s. He was assistant principal at Bernards High School in 2003, before taking his current job as assistant principal at Bernardsville Middle School in 2009.
In 2005 and 2006, Lott battled through cancer of the appendix, a rare form of the disease cancer that affects less than 100 people nationwide, according to a Somerset Medical Center publication.
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