David Lee Nelson was given a 22-year prison sentence for placing cameras in Boy Scout camp bathrooms in Missouri. (Camp exterior screenshot from KTVI/YouTube; Mug shot from St. Francois County Sheriff’s Department via KTVI/YouTube)
A former Boy Scout An unpaid worker has been given a 22-year prison term for hiding cameras in bathrooms at a Boy Scout camp. These cameras recorded sexually explicit material involving male and female victims aged 11 to 15. Missouri Boy Scout camp.
David Lee Nelson, 41, from Washington state, received his punishment on Thursday. He was also instructed to compensate victims and fund prevention programs with $55,000, as well as provide $6,810 for the victims' counseling, as declared in a news release. Following his release from prison, he will be under supervised release for life and prohibited from interacting with minors without permission. In January, he pleaded guilty to two counts of creating child pornography and two counts of attempting to create child pornography.
At Thursday's hearing, the victims and their parents stated that Nelson was meant to safeguard the scouts and be a trusted figure for children, the prosecutors revealed.
Prosecutors stated in the news release, "Nelson’s crimes have caused the victims to struggle with trusting others. They also expressed feeling fear and discomfort whenever they use public bathrooms."
In his plea for a 15-year imprisonment, Nelson's lawyer, Adam Fein, wrote in court papers that he was sexually abused many years ago in a Boy Scout summer camp shower room.
“David has been imprisoned in a local jail for nearly three years shy of three years with little to do except reflect,” the defense sentencing memo said. “But almost three years of contemplation have not helped him understand the connection between his offense and its apparent trigger: his abuse many years ago at a Boy Scout summer camp. David cannot comprehend why his past abuse drove him to act as he did.”
“Regardless of the reason, David wishes to receive mental health treatment while in prison in order to comprehend what he still cannot fully grasp, gain better self-awareness, and uncover the motives and connections behind his actions,” the document also said.
Nelson was found on July 23, 2021, at the S Bar F Scout Ranch, a 5,200-acre wooded Boy Scout facility for boys and girls in St. Francois County, as stated in the guilty plea agreement which detailed the case.
The cameras were discovered as scouts and a camp leader were cleaning out restroom stalls. The cameras were hidden with duct tape inside paper towel dispensers, positioned to record inside the bathroom and shower stall, the document explained. The camp manager received the cameras, and the St. Francois County Sheriff’s Department was notified, according to court documents.
When a deputy questioned Nelson about leaving anything in the bathrooms, he claimed to have left his phone charger in a bathroom on July 22, 2021, and noticed it missing the following night. He stated that he had entered both bathrooms to search for the charger but couldn't find it. However, he failed to mention leaving cameras in the bathroom stalls, as per court records.
Authorities examined the recordings from the cameras and discovered several videos that were made in the camp bathrooms on July 23, 2021. The videos showed two young children involved in sexual activity and four other victims, both boys and girls, aged 11-15, according to court documents. One video captured the defendant setting up one of the cameras and using his phone, as stated in court documents.
He was taken into custody on July 26, 2021.
Officials stated that none of the victims were aware that Nelson had installed the cameras.
When news of the case emerged, The Boy Scouts of America released a statement saying, “The Greater St. Louis Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America prioritizes the safety and well-being of our Scouts, volunteers, and their families. We are saddened, disturbed, and angered by this incident as it goes against everything we stand for at the Greater St. Louis Area Council, Boy Scouts of America.” statement, saying, “The Greater St. Louis Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America places the safety and well-being of our Scouts, volunteers, and their families as our top priority. We are saddened, disturbed, and angered by this incident as it runs counter to everything we stand for at the Greater St. Louis Area Council, Boy Scouts of America.”