Crime & Safety

Herndon Teacher Accused Of Filming Students Released: Report

A Reston man who taught at Herndon High School and was arrested on child porn charges reportedly has been released.

A Reston man who taught at Herndon High School and was arrested on child porn charges reportedly has been released.
A Reston man who taught at Herndon High School and was arrested on child porn charges reportedly has been released. (Image via FCPD)

HERNDON, VA -- The former Herndon High School drama teacher who was accused of unlawfully filming students at the school has been released on bond, according to a report.

WJLA reports that 36-year-old Raphael Schklowsky of Reston, who is accused of filming girls undressing inside the school where he taught, was released on a $25,000 secured bond.

The report adds that he is entering the Keystone Center Extended Care Unit in Chester, Pa., a treatment center for sexually compulsive behavior. He is banned from contact with victims, visiting any type of school, or from using the Internet, according to the report.

Find out what's happening in Herndonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Last month, police obtained 10 felony warrants against Raphael Schklowsky of Reston for unlawful creation of an image or other (still and video images), a class 6 felony. Schklowsky was already in jail on other charges related to child porn and filming.

"As a result of the public’s support and information sharing regarding our investigation of former Herndon High School drama teacher Raphael Schklowsky, detectives from our Major Crimes Bureau have identified 10 victims that could be recognized based on the evidence collected," Fairfax County Police said in a statement. "All other images and videos did not provide enough identifiable characteristics to positively make any definitive identification."

Find out what's happening in Herndonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Police say they have recovered "numerous images and videos" of students inside Herndon High School during school hours in their investigation of Schklowsky.

He was previously held without bond after initially being served with 20 felony charges of possession of child pornography and one felony charge of unlawful filming. Fairfax County Police said in an update Wednesday afternoon that the images and videos were taken during school hours, rehearsals, and events from May 2017 through June 2018.

"Our Major Crimes Bureau Child Exploitation Unit detectives have contacted nine of the known victims who have been identified to date," the report states. "Their work will continue until all possible victims are identified."

Police have asked any other possible victims to reach out to them.

“The case remains active. Detectives have been working diligently on this case and our other important cases to bring justice and closure,” said Major Ed O’Carroll, Commander of the Major Crimes Bureau.

Schklowsky was initially jailed earlier this year after a woman noticed a hidden camera at a home where she was working, police say.

The woman went to the Fair Oaks District Police Station to report that she had "found a hidden camera in an air conditioning vent" inside the home, according to a report from the Fairfax County Police Department. The home is located in the 1800 block of Cranberry Lane in Reston, and the filming may have taken place between April 1-4, police say.

After detectives found evidence of unlawful filming there, police arrested Schklowsky on four misdemeanor counts of unlawful filming, the report states.

He received an additional 20 charges for child pornography on May 8 after police found additional evidence of multiple electronic devices, including over 3,500 videos, the report states.

Schklowsky has been on leave from Herndon High School since his April 8 arrest.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.