Published: February 07, 2008 11:52 am            

Coach accused of child porn

Police say KHS coach confessed to hiding cameras in locker room

Kokomo varsity swim coach Brian D. Hindson was arrested on a federal child pornography charge Wednesday, after law enforcement agents say they found evidence linking him to videos secretly taken of girls undressing in a Memorial Gym locker room.

Hindson, 40, Carmel, was arrested without incident Wednesday morning and terminated from his employment with Kokomo-Center Schools the same day, according to statements released today by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana and Kokomo-Center Schools.

A search warrant was served late Tuesday on Hindson’s Carmel residence by the Kokomo Police Department, the same day FBI officials notified KPD detectives Hindson could be in possession of child pornography.

Federal officials allege Hindson was found in possession of eight child pornography video files — none, however, related to the alleged locker room tapings — during the Tuesday search of his apartment in the 14600 block of Strauss Drive, Carmel.

Hindson allegedly confessed to hiding cameras in the locker rooms at Kokomo and Westfield high schools. He also admitted to downloading child pornography, according to the federal affidavit filed Thursday in U.S. Southern District Court in Indianapolis.

Kokomo police seized 65 items during that search, including computer hard drives, monitors, CDs, DVDs, camera equipment and Hindson’s passport.

The eight child pornography files, all depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, were found on an external hard drive at Hindson’s residence, the affidavit alleges.

Federal officials filed a complaint against Hindson Thursday, alleging possession of child pornography as a federal offense, punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Hindson was scheduled to make his initial appearance in U.S. Southern District Court at 2 p.m. Thursday. He remained in police custody as of Thursday evening, held without bond.

The search of Hindson’s residence coincided with searches at Kokomo and Westfield high schools.

About 8 p.m. Tuesday, KPD officials also submitted a request to search the girls swimming locker rooms at Kokomo High School and Memorial Gym.

KCS Superintendent Tom Little issued a verbal “no trespass” order to Hindson at 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, and after school officials reviewed further evidence Wednesday morning, Hindson’s employment was terminated Wednesday afternoon.

That search was conducted with the assistance of school officials, but no cameras or videotaping equipment were found in the locker rooms, according to the school’s press statement.

Investigation ongoing

The coach of the Kokomo High School boys and girls swim teams since 2005, Hindson is also the CEO of Central Indiana Aquatics swim team, and a coaches’ representative for Indiana Swimming Inc., according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

He had been renting pool space for his swim club at Kokomo and Westfield for several years, and took over varsity swim coaching duties at Kokomo in late 2005. Westfield Washington Schools superintendent Mark Keen said Thursday Hindson had never been employed at Westfield, and only rented pool time there.

There were no official answers Thursday as to when the taping occurred, how long it went on, or what Hindson may have done with the recordings he made.

Little said there’s speculation the alleged activity has been ongoing.

“The police department, although I haven’t been given anything official, mentioned this could have occurred over the last two years,” he said. “I don’t know that for a fact. That’s just what they told me.”

When asked whether Hindson distributed any images taken from the school locker rooms, Acting U.S. Attorney Timothy M. Morrison said he would not comment beyond the FBI affidavit filed Thursday. The affidavit does not address the subject of what Hindson did with his recordings.

Morrison, however, did not rule out further charges being filed against Hindson.

“The investigation is continuing,” he said.

Westfield superintendent Keen said he was frustrated by the lack of information for parents whose children might potentially be involved.

“I have to put myself in the parents’ place, and when I do, I’m going to imagine the worst, but we just don’t know right now,” Keen said. “We sympathize with parents, but we only know so much and we don’t want to jeopardize an ongoing investigation.”

Keen said his office was directing concerned Westfield parents to call an officer at the Kokomo Police Department for further information.

KPD Lt. Don Whitehead said Thursday law enforcement officials simply don’t have answers available for parents right now.

“We’re doing everything we can to identify any potential victims in this case, and then notify the people involved, but it’s not going to be something that happens today, or tomorrow,” Whitehead said. “We do want parents to know their families are our primary concern, second only to the integrity of this investigation and the prosecution of it.”

Likewise, little information was available Thursday on an apparent two-year gap between the discovery of Hindson’s videotaping activity and Thursday’s arrest.

In an affidavit filed in Howard Superior Court 2 Tuesday in order to obtain a search warrant, KPD Detective Michael Banush said he viewed videos taken from a Mac computer Hindson sold through eBay in 2006 to a buyer in Gastonia, N.C.

The buyer of the computer, who said she found two objectionable video files after starting up the computer, immediately notified the Charlotte, N.C., FBI bureau in March 2006, but that complaint was not forwarded to the Indianapolis FBI bureau for action until Jan. 29, according to the FBI affidavit filed Thursday.

The FBI affidavit only says the computer was sent to FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C., for forensic analysis, and that “a computer analysis report was then later sent to the Charlotte FBI Office.”

“A Task Force Officer of the Charlotte Division reviewed the exam and could not locate the videos in question; however, this Task Force Officer was able to locate images of young females posing in a shower,” the FBI affidavit states.

Amy Thoreson, a public affairs specialist with the Charlotte FBI bureau, said she had no comment on the ongoing investigation.

As soon as Kokomo police received the complaint, however, officers sought and executed the search warrant the same day.

“Upon viewing the videos, Detective Banush went to the girls swimming locker room at Kokomo High School’s Memorial Gym and determined that the video discovered by [the computer purchaser] on her computer was in fact produced in that locker room in Memorial Gym,” the search warrant affidavit states.

In the search warrant affidavit signed by Banush, he states the purchaser of Hindson’s computer told FBI agents she received the computer March 17, 2006, after sending payment to Hindson’s Carmel address.

Upon turning on the computer, she told FBI agents she and her son found two files, labeled “J1” and “J2.”

“Both files appeared to be videos taken from a hidden camera in a locker room depicting footage of what appears to be a teenage girl undressing without knowledge of the camera,” the affidavit states.

Wednesday, parents involved with the Kokomo boys and girls swim teams met with school officials, who informed them of the investigation, and offered crisis counseling for any children who may have been taped.

Anyone with information they believe might be useful to investigators can call the Kokomo Police Department at (765) 456-7248.

Scott Smith may be reached at (765) 454-8569 or via e-mail at scott.smith@kokomotribune.com

        

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