Varsity coach caught by his own team after students find a smartphone recording them inside the locker room

A high school football coach is facing criminal and administrative investigations after students discovered a cellphone recording inside their locker room. The phone was reportedly found while students were changing.

Per WesternMass, the device was eventually traced back to Jeffrey Pribble, a teacher and varsity football coach at Tracy High School in California. Police arrested Pribble after detectives interviewed him about the discovery.

The discovery reportedly came after students noticed a cellphone recording them inside the boys’ locker room. Instead of simply walking away, the students paused the recording, turned the phone over to a staff member, and alerted school officials.

The students were the ones who found the phone

Police spokesperson Kaylin Heefner said the students were able to stop the recording before handing the device over. That gave investigators a physical piece of evidence to work with as they began determining who owned the phone.

Detectives later determined that the cellphone belonged to Pribble. Police then interviewed the coach before making the arrest.

The Tracy Unified School District has placed Pribble on leave while the criminal and administrative investigations continue. The district’s action does not establish guilt, and the allegations remain under investigation.

One student who spoke to investigators described the situation as a shock. He said he regularly saw Pribble at school and had previously been encouraged by the coach to join the football team.

The student said he saw Pribble “every day almost,” making the allegations especially difficult to process. He also said he had not joined the football team despite the coach’s attempts to recruit him.

The investigation has not stopped with the discovery of the cellphone. Police say detectives are interviewing students and searching for additional witnesses.

Investigators are also working to determine if there is other evidence connected to the case. Police have not publicly established that additional incidents occurred.

For students and their families, the situation has created an uncomfortable question about trust inside a place where privacy is expected. A locker room is one of the few areas of a school where students naturally expect a level of personal privacy.

Pribble’s arrest and placement on leave are part of an ongoing investigation, rather than a final determination of guilt. Authorities have not publicly announced the outcome of either the criminal investigation or the school’s administrative review.