Coach arrested after phone found recording students in locker room, police say
By Kate Ourada,
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TRACY, California (KCRA) — Tracy High School’s football coach, Jeffrey Pribble, was arrested on Friday after his phone was found recording students in a locker room at a local high school, the Tracy Police Department said.
Pribble, 48, is a teacher and the head coach of varsity football for Tracy High School. He began coaching for Tracy High School in 2004, according to the Tracy Press. Pribble became head coach in 2021.
Police said students discovered a cell phone recording them while changing in an on-campus locker room. The students reported it to a teacher, and police were contacted by a concerned parent.
“When the student and other classmates found the cellphone, they were able to pause the recording before deleting it and then turning the phone over to a staff member,” Kaylin Heefner, a spokesperson for the police department, said.
School resource officers and detectives investigated and found the phone belonged to Pribble, the department said. He was arrested on Friday and Tracy Unified School District has placed him on leave pending the outcome of the criminal and administrative investigations.
KCRA 3 attempted to contact Pribble, but calls went directly to voicemail. It was not immediately clear whether he has an attorney who could comment on his behalf or whether he remained in custody.
A student who asked not to be identified said he saw Pribble nearly every day and had previously been encouraged by the coach to join the football team.
“He was trying to get me to join football, but that’s not really my thing,” the student said. “I see him every day almost.”
The student described the arrest as a shock.
Parents Brittney Plummer and Ryann Carlson said the allegations raised concerns about privacy and the trust families place in teachers and coaches.
“That’s supposed to be their privacy,” Carlson said, referring to students changing inside a locker room.
Plummer said students are particularly vulnerable in that setting.
“The teachers are supposed to do their job and not do inappropriate stuff with the kids,” Plummer said. “It’s scary. They’re vulnerable at that point.”
In a statement to KCRA, the school district said it was aware an employee was arrested Friday on campus and that the district is fully cooperating with law enforcement. However, because this is a criminal matter, the district said it could not provide any further details on the allegations.
In a letter sent to Tracy High School families, the district said it would take any and all necessary actions to protect students.
“We understand that this news may raise serious concerns in the District community,” the letter reads. “The District too is concerned about the well-being of its students and staff and is committed to holding its employees to the highest professional and ethical standards.”
Police said the investigation is ongoing and anyone with information should contact Detective Brian Cockey at Brian.Cockey@TracyPD.com or 209-831-6602 or Detective Joseph Bourassa at Joseph.Bourassa@TracyPD.com or 209-831-6969.
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