March 29, 2024

Teacher accused of secret nude recordings pleads not guilty

DAVENPORT (AP) — An April trial has been scheduled for a Davenport high school science teacher accused of secretly recording nude videos of two females who’d stayed at his Bettendorf home.

Clinton Van Fossen, 58, entered written pleas of not guilty Thursday to five misdemeanor counts of invasion of privacy and to other crimes. His tentative trial starting date is April. 6.

He’s on leave from his job at Davenport West High School.

An arrest affidavit says the allegations stem from actions committed between Dec. 26 and Jan. 4. A tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children said a teenager was being filmed while nude. Bettendorf police have said there didn’t appear to be any juvenile victims.

Bettendorf officers searched Van Fossen’s home on Jan. 7 and seized spy cameras from a bedroom and from a hallway, court records say. Van Fossen denied any knowledge of the cameras.

However, police say officers saw video from October that showed Van Fossen with his cellphone looking in the direction of the camera and then manually adjusting the camera’s direction.