Former Independence High School film-and-television teacher Estevan Carreon was sentenced Friday to four years in prison after admitting he secretly recorded students while they changed clothes. The judge also ordered him to serve a lifetime of supervised probation with sex-offender terms. The recordings date back to 2024 and involved members of the Glendale school's media club.
According to Maricopa County Superior Court records and reporting from ABC15, Carreon entered a plea in June, acknowledging guilt on eight counts of voyeurism. As part of that agreement, prosecutors dismissed 11 additional counts. The plea deal resolved criminal allegations that began after his arrest in March 2024.
How investigators uncovered the recordings
Students in the media club told investigators that Carreon scheduled an extra-credit meeting during spring break and had them change outfits in a classroom changing room. Two male students later spotted what looked like a charger but turned out to be a hidden camera. Parents handed an SD card from that device over to police, and authorities said the card held footage of female students undressed, according to Scripps News.
District response and personnel action
The Glendale Union High School District placed Carreon on administrative leave while police opened their investigation and notified families about available support resources. "We are actively working with the Glendale Police Department regarding this matter," the district wrote in a letter to parents, as reported by Scripps News. The district's Governing Board later voted to terminate his employment, according to ABC15.
Charges and how the case evolved
Prosecutors at one point pursued a much broader case. In mid-June 2025, a grand jury returned a 19-count indictment that included 17 felony voyeurism charges and two misdemeanor counts of unlawful imprisonment, according to reporting from AZFamily. Earlier coverage from the time of Carreon's arrest described investigators recovering multiple small cameras and an SD card, and outlined initial accusations that included voyeurism and sexual exploitation of a minor, as reported by FOX10 Phoenix.
Legal context
Under Arizona law, voyeurism and secretly recording people in places where they have a reasonable expectation of privacy, including locker rooms and changing areas, are criminal offenses. The language is laid out in A.R.S. § 13-1424, which can be found on the Arizona Legislature site (Arizona Legislature). Convictions for qualifying sex offenses also trigger registration and long-term compliance requirements under A.R.S. § 13-3821 and the Arizona Department of Public Safety's sex-offender rules, which govern reporting and post-release supervision obligations (Arizona DPS).
The sentence closes out the current criminal case in court, but investigators have said they will keep reviewing evidence to identify any additional victims. Families with questions have been directed to school officials for support and resources as the district and Glendale police continue to follow up on remaining leads.
