A Tennessee youth soccer coach suspected of raping unconscious boys and recording the sexual abuse on his phone is an illegal immigrant, police say.
Camilo Hurtado Campos, a 63-year-old man who lives in Franklin, Tennessee, was arrested in late June after leaving his phone at a pizza restaurant, prompting staff to sift through its content in an attempt to identify its owner. As they went through the phone, they allegedly uncovered pictures and videos of Campos raping unconscious young boys. Now, the Franklin Police Department says the man has been unlawfully present in the United States for decades, Fox 17 reports.
“Today we learned that the Tennessee soccer coach charged with assaulting and brutally raping several young children is an illegal alien,” Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) posted to Twitter. “The sexual abuse of children is one of the most heinous crimes imaginable, and my heart breaks for the victims and their families.”
“This outrageous tragedy is further evidence that we need to build the wall now,” the Tennessee Republican added. “Until our border is secured, every town is a border town, and criminals will continue to have free reign throughout the nation.”
Campos was arrested one day after leaving his phone at the restaurant, shortly after he returned to the establishment to retrieve the phone with his hands “shaking,” the restaurant manager says, News Channel 5 reported. According to police, video evidence shows that at least ten minors were raped. Three victims have been identified, but police are working to identify others. Five additional victims who weren’t previously known about have also reportedly come forward. Detectives said some victims were in such an unconscious state they likely didn’t even realize what happened.
Lt. Charlie Warner of the Franklin Police Department said that Campos confessed to being in the United States illegally during an interview with the Department of Homeland Security, which is now involved with the case, according to WSMV 4.
Franklin police say “hundreds” of pictures and “disturbing videos” were discovered on Campos’ cell phone. “In many of them, Campos recorded himself raping unconscious boys between approximately 9 and 17 years old,” the department said.
The illegal immigrant would allegedly recruit players for his team during his off hours at school playgrounds. He would then invite them to his home, drug, and rape them after he had gained their trust, according to investigators. Lt. Warner called the case one of the most “shocking and egregious child sex cases” the Middle Tennessee police department has ever seen.
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According to a letter from the Williamson County Soccer League, the county where Franklin is located, Campos wasn’t affiliated with the state or county league, but instead coached strictly in the Hispanic community for unofficial teams, according to Fox 17.
In a statement, Tennessee Republican state Sen. Jack Johnson, who represents Williamson County, said securing the border is necessary to prevent tragedies like these.
“We need to secure our borders so we make sure monsters like this aren’t coming into the country every single day,” Johnson said. “This is a good example of why we should know who’s coming into the country, we should know about their criminal record.”
Franklin is a city just south of Nashville with a population of roughly 86,000.