WILMINGTON, Ohio — A former assistant softball coach at Wilmington City Schools is accused of secretly recording minors with a hidden camera.
Gordon B. Cordell III was indicted last week on four counts of illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material, two counts of voyeurism and one count of possessing criminal tools after he allegedly used a camera concealed in a Bluetooth speaker to record videos of minors who were nude between January and April of 2023.
The 48-year-old was arraigned in court on Monday. He is being held on a $75,000 cash bond and a $25,000 recognizance bond with the condition that he has no contact with his victims.
In a statement to WCPO 9, Wilmington City Schools said Cordell was an assistant coach on the JV softball team for the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons. He was also the district's sports photographer during those years.
The district said Cordell's FBI and BCI background checks did not reveal any past issues of concern.
"To date, no Wilmington City School students have filed complaints with school personnel against Mr. Cordell," the district said.
The district also said to its knowledge, no hidden video recording devices were found in school facilities.
Cordell's pretrial hearing is scheduled for Sept. 12.
