Coach at Texas Catholic school fired for shooting 'upskirt' photos of female students

An assistant football and track coach at a San Antonio Catholic high school was fired yesterday after female students complained that he was videotaping up their skirts when they approached his desk.

According to the Castle Hills Police Department, Larry Ruiz was placing his cellphone on the floor and recording video up female students' skirts. Multiple students complained, but police believe that there may be many more victims.

"In a classroom setting, I can only imagine -- it being a uniformed school -- that there were skirts involved and improper video," said Castle Hills Police Captain Johnny Siemens.

After staff at Antonian College Preparatory High School were alerted to the complaints on Wednesday, they immediately removed Ruiz from the class that he was substituting. Antonian principal Gilbert Saenez told KENS 5 that Ruiz confessed when confronted with the complaints.

"He left his phone with the [Antonian] administration and they released it to us," said Captain Siemens. "When they reached out to us with possible criminal activity, our detectives obtained a warrant to search that phone."

After confessing, Ruiz was immediately fired, and Saenez quickly contacted the parents of students, assuring them "[t]his teacher has been dismissed from employment with Antonian and the case, along with his phone, have been turned over to the Castle Hills police. They will be conducting an investigation into this matter. Archdiocesan officials have also been notified about this occurrence."

Castle Hills Police expect to charge Ruiz under Texas laws against improper relationships between an educator and student, although it is unclear how, as those laws govern sexual contact with, or intent to distribute explicit material to minors in an educator's charge.

This is not Antonian College Preparatory High School's first brush with a sex scandal. In 2011, basketball coach Breck Ross was sentenced to 5 years in prison for having inappropriate relations with female students.

Watch a report on Ruiz's firing from KENS 5 below.

[Image of Ruiz via Antonian.org]