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Officials: Boy Scout Leader Recorded Videos Of Boys Changing Clothes

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CLEVELAND (AP) - Federal prosecutors say a Boy Scout leader recorded boys changing clothes before and after swimming at a YMCA, his home's bathroom and inside teepees at an Ohio scout reservation.

Thirty-nine-year-old Thomas Close, of Shelby in central Ohio's Richland County, was arrested and indicted Thursday on sexual exploitation of children and receiving and distributing child pornography charges.

thomas close
Thomas Close (Photo Credit: U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio/Facebook)

An affidavit submitted by Homeland Security Investigations says cybercrime investigators focused on Close after linking him to videos found on the internet. The affidavit says Close told investigators he recorded the videos starting in 2011. Around 5 terabytes of child pornography was found on his home computer.

A message seeking comment was left Saturday with Close' public defender.

Shelby is roughly 70 miles north of Columbus.

(Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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