More than a half-dozen lifeguards watched as their former boss, a California State Parks supervisor accused of secretly recording employees nude or semi-nude with a hidden camera, appeared at the Westminster courthouse on Thursday, Aug. 6, an alleged crime they described as a severe violation of their trust.
Kevin Pearsall, a former state parks superintendent, didn’t enter a plea during his brief court appearance, attended by two civil attorneys who are collectively representing 16 state parks employees in lawsuits against him and the California Department of State Parks and Recreation seeking financial compensation.
Pearsall, a 59-year-old Long Beach resident, is also facing a criminal case with five felony counts of eavesdropping and more than two dozen misdemeanor counts of secretly filming or unlawful dissemination of private recordings.
Prosecutors allege Pearsall — who oversaw state parks across Orange County — used a hidden camera placed in an employee locker room, at the Bolsa Chica State Beach Lifeguard Headquarters in Huntington Beach, to record the “genitals or buttocks” of 23 different men without their knowledge.
Employees have said that Pearsall urged them to change in one specific locker room, where the camera that recorded audio and video — hidden in what looked like a USB stick — was allegedly found in July 2025.
At least some of the images were allegedly sent by Pearsall to other unnamed individuals, prosecutors say. Attorneys representing the employees say they don’t know if the images were circulated online.
Gloria Allred, the high-profile victim rights and discrimination attorney, is representing nine of the state park employees and appeared with two of them outside the courthouse.
“Our clients will continue to seek accountability and justice for what they have been forced to suffer,” Allred said.
Matthew Dawson, a former lifeguard who now works as a park aide, and Richard Corey, a senior park aide, described Pearsall’s alleged conduct as a betrayal in trust, particularly since Pearsall was a sworn peace officer. Both men agreed to provide their names and talk with reporters and said they were angered at seeing what they described as Pearsall smiling during his time at the courthouse.
“I saw Kevin today in the hallway, and when he walked past me my stomach dropped and I averted my eyes — I couldn’t look him in the face,” Dawson said. “But what I saw, as I looked down, is him smiling. I didn’t smile back, this is not a joke to me.”
“It is already a betrayal, but who does that?” Corey asked later, referencing Pearsall’s courtroom demeanor.
Pearsall’s attorney declined to comment after Thursday’s hearing.
Attorney Mark Peacock, representing seven alleged victims, said after the hearing that four of the lifeguards he represents were minors at one time when they believe the secret recording was occurring.
“We are going to get some answers to some pretty hard questions,” Peacock said. “One of the big ones is how far did this go, and where are all the photos and video? Did they make their way to the dark web or something? We don’t know.”
Dawson and Corey are not among the 23 alleged victims covered by the criminal charges, said Kimberly Edds, a spokesperson for Orange County’s district attorney. Authorities have thus far not recovered any illegal images of any underage victims, Edds added.
Pearsall, is out of custody on his own recognizance, is scheduled to return to court on Sept. 21. After the allegations surfaced, he was put on administration leave and later retired.