Seattle Coach Caught Filming Students

SEATTLE, WA – A former cross country ski coach at a Seattle private school is facing federal charges after being caught secretly filming students undressing on school-sponsored trips. JASON CHRISTOPHER PAUR, 44, was indicted by a federal grand jury on five counts of child pornography related offenses, U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan announced today. The details are sickening.

The arrest came last December, not in Seattle, but at Silver Star ski area in British Columbia, Canada, thanks to the quick thinking of students themselves. Female students on the field trip discovered a hidden video camera in their bedroom. The device was strategically placed to record the young women while they changed clothes after showering – a calculated invasion of privacy and a predatory act.

According to court records and the indictment, this wasn’t a one-time incident. PAUR allegedly recorded students during annual field trips in both 2011 and 2012. The camera seized in Canada contained images of students aged between 14 and 17, filmed while undressing or immediately after leaving the shower. The indictment claims PAUR wasn’t simply recording; he was using these images for his own sexual gratification, and actively transporting them across the border.

Chaperones on the trip immediately removed PAUR after the camera was discovered and notified authorities. The school swiftly fired him and has fully cooperated with the ongoing investigation. PAUR currently remains in Canadian custody, awaiting extradition to the United States to face the charges. He is charged with two counts of Production and Transportation of Child Pornography, Production of Child Pornography with Intent to Transport, Possession of Child Pornography and Transportation of Minors with Intent to Engage in Criminal Sexual Activity.

Investigators with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) have been leading the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Kate Vaughan is prosecuting the case. It’s a grim reminder that predators can hide in plain sight, even in positions of trust. The indictment alleges PAUR knowingly traveled to Canada with the students, fully intending to exploit them.

It is important to remember that the charges contained in the indictment are merely allegations. JASON CHRISTOPHER PAUR is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
For press inquiries, contact Emily Langlie at (206) 553-4110 or Emily.Langlie@usdoj.gov