A former Boy Scout volunteer has been sentenced to 22 years in prison for hiding cameras in bathrooms at a Missouri scout camp, where he was supposed to be protecting the young victims.
David Lee Nelson, a 41-year-old from Redmond, Washington, was convicted of two counts of production of child pornography and two counts of attempted production of child pornography in connection with the July 2021 incident at the S Bar F Scout Ranch in St. Francois County, Missouri.
Nelson hid two cameras in bathrooms at the camp, positioning them to capture a shower stall and other portions of the bathroom. One camera was discovered by a scout leader and scouts who were cleaning out a restroom stall, and a search later uncovered another camera. When questioned by a sheriff’s deputy, Nelson lied and said he was looking for a cell phone charger that he’d left in the stall.
‘Nelson was supposed to be protecting the scouts and was supposed to be someone children could trust,’ victims and their parents said in a statement during Thursday’s hearing. ‘Nelson’s crimes have now left them unable to trust others.’
The victims also described how they now experience fear and discomfort every time they try to use a public bathroom, a stark reminder of the trauma they endured at the hands of their former volunteer.
In addition to his 22-year prison sentence, Nelson was ordered to pay $55,000 in special assessments to a fund for victims and prevention programs, as well as $6,810 to pay for counseling for the victims in this case. After his release from prison, Nelson will be on supervised release for life, with special conditions that include a prohibition against any contact with minors without permission.
The case was investigated by the St. Francois County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Drake prosecuting the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.
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Key Facts
- State: Missouri
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes|Cybercrime|Public Corruption
- Source: Official Source ↗
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