CLINTON COUNTY — A former area high school assistant coach has admitted to filming nude minors with a hidden camera.
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Clinton County Common Pleas Court records filed on Friday show that Gordon B. Cordell pleaded guilty to the following charges:
- Five counts of voyeurism of a minor
- Five counts of interception of wire, oral, or electronic communications
- Two counts of illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material or performance
As part of the plea deal, seven counts of illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material or performance and two counts of voyeurism were dismissed.
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As previously reported, Cordell is a former high school assistant softball coach and sports photographer at Wilmington High School.
The district released the following statement when the initial charges were filed:
“Mr. Gordon Cordell was an assistant coach for our JV softball team for the 21-22 and 22-23 seasons. Mr. Cordell was also under contract as our sports photographer for those two years.
- All FBI and BCI background checks were on file and did not reveal any past issues of concern.
- To date, no Wilmington City School District students have filed complaints with school personnel against Mr. Cordell.
- To our knowledge, no hidden video recording devices were found in school facilities.
- Upon his arrest (in 2023), the district cut all ties with Mr. Cordell as a coach and athletic photographer."
In March 2023, the Wilmington Police Department started investigating reports that a concealed camera had been used to record minors inside a house, Chief of Police Joshua Gibson said.
Court documents allege that the camera was hidden in a Bluetooth speaker and the recordings were taken between Jan. 1, 2023, and April 23, 2023.
While investigating, Wilmington Police Detective Codey Juillerat requested help from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) “due to the nature of the allegations and the specialized capabilities of their digital forensic unit,” Gibson said.
Investigators executed a search warrant at Cordell’s house and found evidence of voyeurism and concealed recordings of both adults and minors.
Court documents indicate that the minors were “in a state of nudity” in the recordings.
“Due to the extensive volume of digital evidence and the number of victims identified, the investigation was lengthy and thorough,” Gibson said.
Cordell’s sentencing has been scheduled for May 8.
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