A former Tennessee school nurse was arrested Thursday on child pornography charges after he allegedly collected more than 700 photos of underage girls from a restroom with a secret camera, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced in a statement.
40-year-old Leon Hensley allegedly captured photos of over 40 victims who are believed to be students at Northeast High school in Clarksville, by placing a secret camera inside the nurse’s station bathroom, according to the DOJ.
Former Clarksville School Nurse Facing Federal Charges in Child Pornography Investigation: Leon B. Hensley, a former Clarksville, Tennessee school nurse, has been charged with attempted production of child pornography. https://t.co/QMmN1NBIum
— FBI Memphis (@FBIMemphis) May 21, 2021
Police said that Hensley worked at the district as a nurse from August 2017 until November 8, 2019, according to the DOJ. The Tennessee Department of Children Services notified authorities in November 2019 that Hensley allegedly texted a picture of a nude woman to an underaged female.
NEW: Police are charging a former school nurse in Tennessee in a child porn investigation with more than 40 student victims.https://t.co/4BWY8P7u8Z
— WTVC NewsChannel 9 (@newschannelnine) May 21, 2021
Investigators said Hensley had asked the minor to pose for photos as part of a shoot, according to the DOJ. Officers allegedly found several images depicting sexual exploitation of children on Hensley’s phone and seized multiple electronic devices from his home after serving a search warrant.
Investigators said they found nude photos depicting female students at the high school where he was employed, and due to the number of images on Hensley’s devices, the U.S. Secret Service joined the investigation to provide more forensic analysis of the seized devices, according to the DOJ.
Among the devices, investigators found a small, covert video camera. They also reportedly found files showing unidentified girls that appeared to be minors being secretly photographed while using a restroom.
Investigators said the camera was reportedly positioned directly across and in front of the toilet seat, so it could capture the female genitalia, according to the DOJ. Police said they found more than 700 photos of underaged girls from a single restroom on Hensley’s devices.
The victims are reportedly children between the ages of 12 to 17.
Hensley also allegedly secretly collected images from Tennova Hospital, where he was previously employed before working at the school district, according to the DOJ. Other photos reportedly included unidentified women in hospital examination rooms and nude women in tanning beds.
The Clarksville-Montgomery County School System told WKRN that the former employee involved in the child exploitation investigation was terminated in November 2019.
“This former employee was terminated in November 2019 due to a CPD investigation at that time for exploitation of a minor. CPD has informed CMCSS that law enforcement is currently contacting other potential victims,” the statement said, according to WKRN. “The safety and well-being of our students is our top priority, and CMCSS is fully cooperating with CPD as they investigate these heinous crimes.
A criminal complaint charged Hensley with attempted production of child pornography, the DOJ stated.
Hensley was booked into the Pinellas County Jail in Florida, where he currently resides, WKRN reported. If convicted, Hensley faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and up to life in prison, according to the DOJ.
Numerous teachers and other school employees have been charged with sexual misconduct charges, often involving minors and students.
A former Florida public high school teacher was sentenced to 15 years in prison in May for recording nude videos of 124 students and one teacher as they were changing clothes in his classroom. (RELATED:‘Room Of Horrors’: Teacher Sentenced To 15 Years In Prison For Nude Videos Of 124 Students While They Were Changing Clothes)
A Texas public middle school teacher who was arrested in mid-April on child porn charges allegedly pretended to be a girl over text messages so he could solicit explicit photos from teenagers.