Local school janitor charged with secretly recording people using the bathroom at work

A now former Pickerington janitor has pleaded guilty to voyeurism charges.

Edward Dorst, 64, was a janitor at Toll Gate Elementary School, where he hid a cellphone in the staff restroom and recorded the staff at Toll Gate while they used the bathroom.

Last October, a woman on the staff found the cellphone hidden in a box in the staff bathroom. When confronted, Dorst said he was trying to record himself fixing a toilet for training purposes, but when investigators searched his phone, they found video recordings dating back to September.

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Investigators found that one-third of the staff at the school was recorded on this phone, but no students were involved.

Dorse admitted to the recordings. Fairfield County Municipal Court records show that not only is Dorst ordered to stay at least 1,000 feet away from Pickerington school properties and all of the victims, but he was sentenced to 270 days in jail, must register as a sex offender for 15 years, and will be placed on probation for four years.

The incident took place last October, and many staff members voiced their frustration at a public school board meeting. “The crime committed against me and my colleagues has left me disheartened and shaken,” one teacher said. “The betrayal by someone we trusted for nine years, a colleague we called our friend, turned our world upside down. The emotional impact on our staff has been overwhelming.” 

Another teacher expressed that walking into the building where her privacy was violated remains a constant struggle.

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