Retired California State Parks Superintendent pleads not guilty to eavesdropping charges
A former California State Parks Superintendent who is accused of filming male employees in the nude while they changed in a locker room at Bolsa Chica State Beach Lifeguard Headquarters in Huntington Beach, pleaded not guilty to eavesdropping charges.
Kevin Pearsall, 59, of Long Beach, has been charged with five felony counts of eavesdropping, 23 misdemeanor counts of secretly filming another person and three misdemeanor counts of unlawful dissemination of private recordings.
Prosecutors allege Pearsall planted hidden cameras in the locker room and recorded the audio and video of them undressing.
"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," said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer at the time of Pearsall's charging.
Prosecutors said a sworn California State Park officer found a USB stick in the men's employee locker room at Bolsa Chica State Beach Lifeguard Headquarters in July 2025. The officer reviewed the contents of the USB drive and found videos of state employees undressing in the locker room, which was open only to staff, including lifeguards, office workers, maintenance and park employees.
The officer turned the USB over to the California Highway Patrol, which conducted an investigation. It found that Pearsall allegedly recorded a number of videos across an 11-month period starting in August 2024.
Prosecutors said Pearsall's hidden camera captured 23 different men who "had their genitals or buttocks filmed." He sent several of those videos to two other men and made sexual comments about their bodies.
Pearsall began working with the California State Parks in 1994. He served as superintendent, a sworn law enforcement position, from 2023 to July 2025. He was placed on administrative leave while the investigation took place, and he promptly retired during that time frame.
