A longtime California State Parks boss who once oversaw lifeguards at Bolsa Chica State Beach is now accused of secretly filming them in their own locker room.
Former Orange Coast district superintendent Kevin Pearsall, 59, of Long Beach, was charged Tuesday with allegedly recording nearly two dozen lifeguards and other staff inside the men’s employee locker room at Bolsa Chica State Beach. Prosecutors say the images came from recordings found on a USB drive, and that Pearsall turned himself in on June 23.
According to MyNewsLA, Pearsall faces five felony counts of eavesdropping, 23 misdemeanor counts of secretly filming another, and three misdemeanor counts of unlawfully disseminating private recordings. In all, the charges carry a potential maximum of 18 years and eight months behind bars.
MyNewsLA reports that Pearsall surrendered on a $500,000 arrest warrant, was released on his own recognizance, and is scheduled to be arraigned Aug. 6 at the West Justice Center in Westminster. Prosecutors told the outlet that Senior Deputy District Attorney Stephanie Caughlin of the Sexual Assault Unit is assigned to the case.
California State Parks materials list Pearsall as the Orange Coast district superintendent in 2025, describing him as a longtime parks employee whose responsibilities included oversight of beach and lifeguard operations in Orange County. Agency postings place the Bolsa Chica lifeguard headquarters inside that district. The department has not yet issued a public statement responding to the criminal case.
What prosecutors allege
Investigators say the case broke open when a sworn state parks officer found a USB memory stick in the men’s employee locker room at the Bolsa Chica lifeguard headquarters in July 2025. On it, authorities say, were video and audio files that allegedly documented activity in the locker room from August 2024 through July 2025.
Prosecutors told MyNewsLA that they ultimately identified 23 men who had been filmed without their knowledge or consent. Pearsall is also accused of sending some of the images to two other men and making sexually charged comments about employees’ bodies.
“These victims had their privacy violated in such a disgusting way,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said, according to prosecutors.
Broader context
Hidden-camera cases in locker rooms and changing areas have rattled public agencies across Southern California in recent years, spawning both criminal prosecutions and civil lawsuits. The pattern is depressingly familiar: a quiet discovery of a device, a long digital forensics slog, and eventually a wave of privacy and workplace safety concerns.
One prior case involving secret recordings at an aquatics facility, documented by the Los Angeles Times, showed how such investigations can drag on for months and often hinge on electronic evidence and witness testimony. Legal experts note that whether audio was captured can affect the severity of the charges, and that prosecutors typically must show the recordings were made and shared without consent.
Legal next steps
Pearsall is scheduled to return to court for arraignment on Aug. 6 at the West Justice Center in Westminster. Prosecutors say he remains out of custody on his own recognizance after surrendering on the $500,000 warrant.
If he is convicted on all counts, the combined maximum sentence is 18 years and eight months in prison. The case will proceed through the Orange County criminal courts, where prosecutors say they plan to continue working with the alleged victims and other witnesses as the proceedings move forward.
