CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – A former school nurse took hidden-camera photos of more than 40 girls in the student bathroom in the Northeast High School nurse’s station, and of patients at Tennova Healthcare-Clarksville, according to a criminal complaint.
Leon Burnett Hensley, 40, currently living in Lake Wales, Florida, was arrested this morning near his home. He will make an appearance before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in Tampa later today, according to a news release.
A criminal complaint unsealed today charged Hensley with attempted production of child pornography, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Mary Jane Stewart for the Middle District of Tennessee.
Communication with a minor
From August 2017 through Nov. 8, 2019, Hensley was employed as a nurse at Northeast. In November 2019, Clarksville Police received a referral from the Tennessee Department of Children Services advising that Hensley sent a digital image, via text message, of a nude adult woman to a minor girl in the Clarksville area. Hensley had been communicating with the girl via text and asked her to help him with a photo shoot by posing for photos, according to the complaint.
Several images were discovered on Hensley’s phone depicting the sexual exploitation of children. During a search of his house, numerous electronic devices were seized, including a small covert video camera. The initial examination of Hensley’s phone led to the discovery of nude images identified as female students at NEHS, the complaint said.
The Clarksville-Montgomery County School System fired Hensley during the CPD investigation.
Federal agents join case
Due to the enormous amount of imagery on Hensley’s devices, the U.S. Secret Service joined the investigation and located several images of girls photographed by a hidden camera while using a restroom. Other images depict girls in hospital examination rooms, pre-operation or post-operation rooms, and nude females in tanning beds, according to the complaint.
Last month, Homeland Security Investigations agents joined the investigation, and to date, more than 700 images have been discovered, the release said. Further investigation determined the bathroom in the images is the private student bathroom in the nurse’s station at NEHS. Other images found geolocate to Tennova Heathcare-Clarksville, where Hensley was employed prior to his employment at NEHS, the complaint said.
The investigation is continuing, and to date, more than 40 victims are suspected to be students at NEHS and range in age from 12 to 17, the complaint said.
Hensley faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years, and up to life in prison if convicted.
If you might have been a victim
The school system has advised families that if their student used nursing services at the school during this time and believe they may have been a victim, or having information regarding the investigation, to please contact the Homeland Security Hotline at 1-866-347-2423 or email specialvictimscase21@cityofclarksville.com. Do not call 911 or the Montgomery County E-911 non-emergency number.
This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Secret Service, the FBI, and the Clarksville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Monica Morrison and Carrie Daughtrey are prosecuting the case.