Former school nurse accused of taking nude photos of kids pleads guilty
By Daniel Smithson
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CLARKSVILLE, Tennessee (WSMV) — A former Clarksville school nurse pleaded guilty Wednesday to attempting to produce child pornography, according to federal prosecutors.
Leon B. Henlsey, 41, pleaded guilty to 25 counts of attempting to produce child pornography ahead of the start of a bench trial expected to begin Wednesday, announced U.S. Attorney Mark H. Wildasin for the Middle District of Tennessee.
Hensley, a former nurse at Northeast High School in Clarksville, was initially arrested in May 2021. He was accused then of sending a digital photo of a nude woman to a young girl.
“Hensley had been communicating with the minor female via text and asked her to help him with a photo shoot by posing for photos,” prosecutors said in a media release.
Investigators later found several images on Hensley’s phone depicting nude children, including a juvenile student at Northeast High School where he worked. Several hundred images of juvenile girls were also found on other devices during the investigation, including pictures taken by hidden camera in the nurse’s station at the high school.
Investigators also found image files depicting unidentified females in hospital rooms, airports, and tanning beds, plus video files that appeared to be upskirt videos of adult and minor females.
A superseding indictment returned in June charged Hensley with 25 counts of attempting to produce child pornography and enticing or coercing a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing child pornography. Hensley faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison on each count, and up to life, when he is sentenced on Feb. 3.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations; the U.S. Secret Service; the FBI; and the Clarksville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Monica Morrison is prosecuting the case.
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