SANTA ANA, Calif. (TCN) — A former California State Parks superintendent is facing a maximum of 18 years and eight months behind bars after allegedly secretly filming naked male lifeguards in a dressing room and then distributing the images.
The Orange County District Attorney’s Office announced on June 24 that 59-year-old Kevin Pearsall was charged with five felony counts of eavesdropping, 23 misdemeanor counts of secretly filming another, and three misdemeanor counts of unlawful dissemination of private recordings. If convicted as charged, he could face up to 18 years and eight months in prison.
In July 2025, a California State Parks officer found a USB drive in a men’s bathroom. They reviewed the content, which contained videos of state employees using the locker room to get undressed, according to the DA.
An investigation into the USB drive revealed that Pearsall allegedly used hidden cameras to record 23 different men undressing over the course of 11 months starting in 2024. In addition to allegedly placing the cameras, Pearsall allegedly sent the footage to two other people, along with sexually charged comments about the bodies in the footage.
At the time of the recordings, Pearsall was serving as California State Parks superintendent, a sworn law enforcement position. Pearsall retired in July 2025 after he was put on administrative leave for the investigation, according to the DA; he had worked for the department in some capacity since 1994.
On June 23, Pearsall turned himself in on a $500,000 arrest warrant and was released on recognizance, according to the DA. SFGate reports that his arrest warrant was filed publicly before he was arrested, and according to Kimberly Edds, a spokesperson for the DA, the erroneous filing is how he learned he was charged. The docket has since been sealed.
The Los Angeles Times reports that on the same day that Pearsall was charged, an unnamed victim filed a suit against Pearsall. The plaintiff, who began working as a seasonal lifeguard under Pearsall in 2018, later became a state park peace officer. The filing allegedly hints at financial wrongdoing on Pearsall’s part, according to the Times.
The complaint alleges that when a search warrant was executed in connection with the hidden camera investigation, “Based on Pearsall’s prior reputation — they immediately assumed the operation related to ‘embezzlement’ rather than some other misconduct.”
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said, “Instead of protecting his employees, Pearsall used his position to spy on the men who worked for him while they were in the place where they should have been the safest and then share those intimate images of his victims. … These victims had their privacy violated in such a disgusting way, and we will do everything we can to ensure they receive the justice they deserve.”
Pearsall is scheduled to be arraigned on Aug. 6.
MORE:
