Jammie Allen Maze, a former girls’ basketball coach and athletic director for LaPoynor ISD, was arrested on September 29, 2023.
He was accused of placing a cell phone with a camera turned on in a shoe and leaving it under a bench in the girls’ locker room.
A disturbing incident unfolded at LaPoyner High School when varsity cheerleaders discovered a hidden cell phone recording inside the girls’ locker room.
The phone, a Motorola G7, was found placed inside a shoe beneath a bench, strategically positioned with its camera facing outward to capture footage of the room.
According to reports, the device was actively recording video when the cheerleaders spotted it. They acted quickly and brought the phone to their coach, who then turned it over to campus police.
Authorities investigated the incident to determine who had placed the phone in the locker room and whether any footage had been shared or saved.
The discovery has raised concerns about privacy and safety in school facilities, prompting discussions about additional security measures.
Jammie Allen Maze Was Arrested For Tampering With Physical Evidence
46-year-old Jammie Allen Maze was arrested on September 29, 2023, after investigators obtained a warrant charging him with tampering with physical evidence.
He served as the athletic director and girls basketball coach for LaPoynor ISD, but had been placed on administrative leave pending further investigation.
According to an affidavit filed by an investigator with the Henderson County Crimes Against Children Task Force, the incident is based on a recording device allegedly taken by Maze.
The affidavit states that when cheerleaders brought the phone to their coach, Kylie Nachtrieb, Maze was present and reportedly took the device, pressing multiple buttons.
Maze claimed he believed the phone was his because he had recently lost a similar one.
However, when the phone was later handed over to the ISD police, the screen was locked, preventing access to its contents. The device was then given to the superintendent for safekeeping until it could be delivered to the Child Crimes Task Force on October 2.
Furthermore, Maze was seen on the camera for approximately 40 minutes before it was found on September 26.
The affidavit also alleged that he was caught tampering with the device when it was brought to Nachtrieb.
A warrant for Maze’s arrest was issued on September 29. He was booked into the Henderson County Jail but posted a $250,000 bond and was released the same day.
Maze Lost Cellphone Was Discovered In Shoe Used To Record Girls’ Locker Room Secretly
At LaPoynor ISD, a cellphone hidden inside a shoe was discovered in the girls’ locker room, allegedly used to record students without their knowledge.
The incident took a bizarre turn when the phone was stolen from the superintendent’s office in an apparent break-in, leading to a criminal trial this week.
According to court documents, teacher and coach Maze was present when the device was found and briefly took possession of it, pressing buttons before claiming he believed it might be his lost phone.
The phone was later handed over to Superintendent Marsha Mills for safekeeping until the Child Crimes Task Force could examine it.
However, on the morning of September 29, the administration building was broken into, and the phone from Mills’ office was stolen.
Police Chief John Daniels testified that the intruder had bypassed three locked doors, one of which was left unlocked, another had been pried open, and the superintendent’s door had been kicked in.
Witnesses described Maze acting erratically in the days following the discovery of the phone.
On September 28, he reportedly visited Mills’ office distraught, claiming he and his wife had realized the found phone matched one he had lost.
Later that day, he allegedly asked Daniels, “What are they going to do to me if they think it’s my phone?”
Chief Financial Officer Holley Franklin testified that Maze had attempted and failed to unlock the phone with his fingerprint.
She also stated that the shoe matched the ones she had previously ordered for Maze. She alleged Maze admitted to deleting a video from the device.
Furthermore, a retired administrator also revealed that Maze had acted strangely in the days after the incident, repeatedly visiting her office to discuss unrelated matters.
As the case continues, the community awaits answers about who planted the phone and who went to such lengths to ensure it was never analyzed.
