Peeping Tom is arraigned

Ten days after the arrest of an Oaks Christian School maintenance man accused of secretly videotaping female students in a locker room, parents and administrators say they are satisfied with the way the incident has been handled so far at the Westlake Village campus.

Hilario Hernandez Medina, 39, was arrested on May 19 after an Oaks Christian employee discovered a video camera wrapped in what was either a shirt or jacket and placed on a maintenance cart. Medina was arraigned on sexual exploitation and invasion of privacy charges. Medina, who allegedly videotaped 18 female students, pleaded not guilty and remains in jail in lieu of $160,000 bond pending a June 9 pre-trial court appearance.

The day after Medina's arrest, the school sent out a mass e-mail and phone call inviting students and parents to attend a meeting to discuss the case. Counselors were on hand to talk with students.

"Students responded well," Oaks Christian Headmaster Jeffrey Woodcock said. "We asked the boys to be sensitive to the girls' feelings. "We're a family here and like a family would, we rally around each other," he said.

Oaks Christian is a private religious school for students in 6th through 12th grades.

Police are evaluating the evidence and trying to identify victims, said Lt. Thomas Sirkel of the Los Angeles County Sheriff 's Department's Special Victims Bureau. The tape Medina allegedly recorded is poor quality and makes it difficult to identify the girls, who are shown in various stages of undress, Woodcock said.

If any of the victims are identified they will be contacted, officials said.

Woodcock said he believed additional tapes had been found, but Sirkel would not confirm.

"We think we have a strong case with enough evidence to prosecute this man," Sirkel said.

Medina worked at the school for about a year. He was hired by a private contractor employed by the school and by nearby Calvary Community Church. Background checks on Medina before he was hired were cleared through the Lost Hills Sheriff's Station, Woodcock said. "He had no priors," the headmaster said.

The incident helps raise awareness that there are "bad" people in the world, said Denise Davis, an Oaks Christian parent.

"It's a painful situation but I think the school has really done a tremendous job staying on top of it and keeping parents informed," Davis said. "Unfortunately we live in a culture where these issues come up," she said. "It could happen anywhere."