Image Credit: Montgomery County Government & canva
The Tennessee Conservative Staff –
A former school nurse for the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System is being charged by the state with almost 100 charges of child pornography after previously pleading guilty to federal charges of creating and distributing child pornography in 2022.
Leon B. Hensley, 43, once worked as a school nurse at Northeast High School. He has been extradited to Clarksville-Montgomery County to face state charges after being sentenced to 293 months in federal prison.
Hensley was initially arrested on November 18, 2019 for sexual exploitation of a minor after an examination of his cell phone uncovered a “prepubescent child in the state of total undress with the focus of the photo being on the genital area.”
Findings of the search also included several nude images that were identified as female students at Northeast High.
Officers seized several electronic devices, including a small video camera, and found a large number of images on them.
The U.S. Secret Service and Homeland Security joined the investigation and found that a number of images of girls had been seemingly taken with a secret camera in a number of places, including a restroom at NEHS, hospital exam rooms from Hensley’s previous employment at Tennova Healthcare-Clarksville, airports, and tanning beds.
Hensley was arrested on federal charges again in May 2021, after over 700 images were discovered. He was charged with 25 counts of attempting to create child pornography as well as enticing or coercing a minor to engage in sexually explicit activities for the purpose of producing child pornography.
Hensley pleaded guilty on September 28, 2022. He was sentenced on April 3, 2023, to 293 months in federal prison. Hensley has since filed an appeal.
On June 7, 2024, Hensley was returned to Montgomery County to face state charges. He faces 99 charges in regards to child pornography, solicitation, and unlawful imagery.
- 37 counts of especially aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor
- 9 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor
- 1 count of sexual exploitation of a minor > 50 images
- 12 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor > 100 images
- 1 count of solicitation of a minor – especially aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor
- 3 counts of unlawful photographing in violation of privacy
- 36 counts of unlawful aggravated photographing
According to indictments in the state’s case, these are not new charges.
“Even if federal wants to prosecute under their laws, if a state offense occurred, we can still prosecute under the offenses alleged to have been committed in the state,” said District Attorney General Robert Nash.
According to state law, Hensley could face additional prison time for the state charges and could have to go through another trial, depending on how he chooses to answer the charges.
His arraignment was scheduled for July 8 at the Montgomery County Courts Complex.
