TRACY, Calif. — A disturbing discovery inside a locker room at Tracy High School has led to the arrest of the school’s head football coach after student athletes reportedly found a cellphone that was still recording.
The cellphone was discovered by students on September 10 inside an on-campus locker room. According to police, the device was found while students were changing and remained in recording mode when they came across it.
The students immediately stopped the recording and deleted the video before turning the phone over to a teacher. The discovery quickly triggered an investigation involving school resource officers and detectives with the Tracy Police Department.
What initially appeared to be an abandoned cellphone soon became the focus of a much more serious investigation.
Police Identify Football Coach as Phone Owner
Authorities said the department’s General Investigations Unit (GIU) worked to determine who owned the cellphone.
Investigators ultimately determined that the phone belonged to Jeffrey Pribble, the school’s 48-year-old head football coach, according to police.
The case escalated after a parent of one of the students who discovered the phone contacted the Tracy Police Department. Officers responded to the school, and Pribble was arrested on September 11, one day after the cellphone was found.
Police have not released additional details about the alleged recording beyond what was included in their initial account.
The Tracy Unified School District has since placed Pribble on leave as authorities continue investigating the circumstances surrounding the cellphone and the recording.
Police Chief Praises Students Who Spoke Up
Tracy Police Chief Sekou Millington addressed the case publicly, emphasizing the importance of protecting students in school environments.
“Our children deserve to feel safe at school and in every space where they should be able to learn, grow, and simply be kids,” Millington said.
The police chief also praised the students who discovered the cellphone and brought the situation to the attention of adults.
“Protecting the safety, privacy, and well-being of our students is a responsibility we take seriously,” Millington added. “We are grateful to the students who brought this incident to the attention of adults and to the officers and detectives who acted quickly to investigate.”
The students’ decision to report the discovery allowed school officials and law enforcement to begin looking into who had placed the cellphone in the locker room and why it was recording.
Investigation Into Locker Room Recording Continues
The investigation remains ongoing, and authorities are asking anyone who may have information about the case to contact Tracy Police.
Detective Brian Cockey can be reached at (209) 831-6602 or by email at [email protected]. Information can also be provided to Detective Joseph Bourassa at (209) 831-6969 or through [email protected].
Members of the public who want to remain confidential can contact the Tracy Police Department’s Tip Line at (209) 831-6TIP or email [email protected].
Authorities have not indicated how long the investigation is expected to take or whether additional charges could follow as detectives continue examining the evidence.
For now, the school district has taken the step of placing the coach on leave while law enforcement works to establish the full circumstances surrounding the alleged recording.
The case has also highlighted the importance of students and school employees speaking up when they encounter something that appears unsafe or inappropriate.
What do you think about the students immediately reporting the cellphone after finding it? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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