A Walter Johnson High School media technician now faces 12 felony counts of sex abuse of a minor across two cases after prosecutors filed eight new charges tied to hidden-camera recordings of female theater students, according to court records reported by The Banner.

The case, investigated by the Montgomery County Police Department's Special Victims Investigations Division, involves a Bethesda school in the same MCPS system and police district that serves Potomac-area families.

James Mulhern III, 43, of Clarksburg, appeared in jail scrubs via videoconference at a bond hearing Wednesday in Montgomery County District Court in Rockville. Judge Sherri Koch set a $100,000 unsecured bond, ten times the $10,000 bond a different judge imposed in April. If released, Mulhern cannot contact witnesses or access electronic devices.

The eight new charges stem from a flash drive seized from Mulhern's home containing recordings made in 2015 at the Bethesda campus. A first case, filed in April, carries four charges based on 2018 recordings found on a memory card students discovered in the school theater's control booth. Investigators have identified 12 student victims between the two cases.

Assistant State's Attorney Erin Chapman argued Mulhern should be held without bond, telling the judge he had a "pervasive interest in his students" and that prosecutors are concerned about potential grooming of other students.

Defense attorney David Wooten countered that Mulhern underwent a psychosexual evaluation and was deemed a low risk for recidivism. Wooten noted his client has worn an ankle monitor and has not been accused of touching students.

How the case began

On Tuesday, April 7, two Walter Johnson students found a video camera in the theater's control booth. One student viewed the memory card, saw footage recorded inside the girls' changing room, and emailed the videos to the principal, according to a Montgomery County Police Department press release. The principal identified Mulhern from the video.

MCPD's Special Victims Investigations Division executed search warrants at the school on Rock Spring Drive and at Mulhern's Clarksburg home on April 15, collecting several electronic devices. Investigators found 15 hidden-camera videos on a flash drive, 11 recorded inside the theater changing room and costume storage room, along with 39 images focused on female students' breasts.

When questioned, Mulhern initially denied wrongdoing but then acknowledged he was the man seen setting up a camera in a changing room. Court records show he told police he had an attraction to multiple students while working at the school.

What's next

Montgomery County State's Attorney John McCarthy said after Wednesday's hearing that the investigation is ongoing and prosecutors are considering combining the two cases through a superseding indictment. Mulhern faces up to 300 years in prison if convicted on all 12 charges.

A Montgomery County Public Schools spokesperson confirmed Mulhern remains on leave without pay, a status that began in April. The MCPS school year is scheduled to begin August 25, according to WTOP.

Anyone with information about this case can contact MCPD's Special Victims Investigations Division.