Boy Scout Volunteer Gets 22 Years For Sickening Crimes

A judge sentenced a former Boy Scout volunteer to 22 years in prison after he hid cameras in bathrooms that captured male and female victims who ranged from 11 to 15 years old.

In January, David Lee Nelson, 41, of Washington, pleaded guilty to” two counts of production of child pornography and two counts of attempted production of child pornography.”

Nelson was also ordered to pay $55,000 to victims and $6,810 for counseling for the victims.

According to the DOJ, in 2021, Nelson hid cameras in towel dispensers that faced shower stalls at the S Bar F Scout Ranch in St. Francois Count.

The cameras were discovered by a scout leader, who then contacted the St. Francois County Sheriff’s Department.

"A former Boy Scout volunteer has been sentenced to 22 years in federal prison for hiding cameras in bathrooms that caught sexually explicit material of male and female victims whose ages ranged from 11 to 15 at a Missouri Boy Scout camp."https://t.co/SKqBshQQyX

— CCBee (@SeaSeaBee) May 5, 2024

Here’s what Law & Crime reported:

A former Boy Scout volunteer has been sentenced to 22 years in federal prison for hiding cameras in bathrooms that caught sexually explicit material of male and female victims whose ages ranged from 11 to 15 at a Missouri Boy Scout camp.

David Lee Nelson, 41, of Washington state, learned his fate on Thursday. He was also ordered to pay $55,000 to victims and for prevention programs and $6,810 for counseling for the victims, prosecutors announced in a news release. He will be on supervised release for life after he gets out of prison and will be barred from having contact with minors without permission, officials said. He pleaded guilty in January to two counts of production of child pornography and two counts of attempted production of child pornography.

During Thursday’s hearing, victims and their parents said Nelson was supposed to protect the scouts and be someone children could trust, prosecutors said.

“Nelson’s crimes, they said, have now left them unable to trust others,” prosecutors said in the news release. “The victims also said they now experience fear and discomfort every time they try to use a public bathroom.”

Former Boy Scout Volunteer Gets 22 Years In Prison For Hiding Cameras In Camp Bathrooms https://t.co/s49IKuB4uI

— HuffPost (@HuffPost) May 4, 2024

Per The DOJ:

U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel on Thursday sentenced a former Boy Scout volunteer to 22 years in prison for hiding cameras in bathrooms at a St. Francois County, Missouri scout camp.

Judge Sippel also ordered David Lee Nelson to pay $55,000 in special assessments that will go to a fund for victims and prevention programs and $6,810 to pay for counseling for the victims in this case. After he gets out of prison, Nelson will be on supervised release for life, with special conditions that include a prohibition against any contact with minors without permission.

Nelson hid two cameras in bathrooms at the S Bar F Scout Ranch in St. Francois County in July of 2021 while working there as a volunteer. Nelson hid the cameras in paper towel dispensers, positioning them so they would capture a shower stall and other portions of the bathroom.

One camera was discovered when a scout leader and scouts were cleaning out one of the restroom stalls. A search uncovered another camera, and leaders then called the St. Francois County Sheriff’s Department. When questioned later by a sheriff’s deputy after being spotted near the bathrooms, Nelson lied and said he was looking for a cell phone charger that he’d left in the stall.

During Thursday’s hearing, victims and their parents said Nelson was supposed to be protecting the scouts and was supposed to be someone children could trust. Nelson’s crimes, they said, have now left them unable to trust others. The victims also said they now experience fear and discomfort every time they try to use a public bathroom.

Nelson, 41, of Redmond, Washington, pleaded guilty in January to two counts of production of child pornography and two counts of attempted production of child pornography.

Former Boy Scout volunteer sentenced to 22 years in prison for hiding cameras in camp bathrooms https://t.co/8sNw4b7OuQ

— Chicago Breaking News (@ChicagoBreaking) May 4, 2024