Sometimes, spending gym class stuffed in your locker can be a positive experience.
Linden High School sophomore Justine Betti is a hero today after she stopped a string of thefts from student lockers, reports ABC News’ Sacramento affiliate KXTV. Each theft occurred during gym classes, so Betti climbed into a locker armed with a cell phone video camera to catch the mystery thief on the prowl. She was shocked to capture her teacher -- a 30-year veteran of the classroom -- rummaging through backpacks and allegedly pocketing cash.
“It was really scary. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh. I can’t believe I just got this on video,'" Betti told KXTV. "I didn’t want to believe that she would do something like that because she was so nice, but then she did it."
The school's principal told Betti that she should delete the video and that the issue would be resolved, Betti told KXTV. But Betti had already sent the footage to her father, she said.
The principal's response sparked one reaction on greatschools.org, where an anonymous reviewer posted that he or she was dissatisfied with the reaction as described by Betti.
"I was very upset at the story of the gym teacher who allegedly stole from students backpacks from their lockers," the reviewer wrote. "Now the real problem, the principal ... instructing the students to erase the tapes."
Another anonymous reviewer on the site, who described himself or herself as a current senior at the high school, called Linden a "community and or family in which we all tolerate each other," but also said that "there are maybe four or five teachers that are absolutely amazing, but the rest are just at par with my expectations."
CBS affiliate WFMY spoke to students at the school who heard about the theft.
"It's not right for a teacher, especially without students being there, to go through a backpack," student Matt Horton said, according to WFMY.
Tammy Snider, a parent, told the station, "I think it's crazy. It's sad."
School officials said that the teacher has been placed on leave, and administrators told ABCNews.com that a deeper investigation is underway. Administrators did not name the teacher, and no criminal charges have been filed.