Children's Theatre Employee charged with child pornography
by Chris Peterson, OnStage Blog Founder
An employee of Oklahoma Children's Theatre was fired Wednesday after being charged with possession of child pornography.
According to an affidavit, a search warrant was executed on Tuesday and authorities said they found several videos of child pornography on Nathan Benfall's cell phone. Benfall had been serving as the Director of Operations for the Oklahoma Children's Theatre in Oklahoma City, OK.
Benfall’s charges came as a result of "an online undercover investigation to identify individuals possessing and sharing child pornography on the internet," FBI Special Agent Marisol Flores reported in a court affidavit.
While Benfall had worked at the theatre since 2005, starting as a volunteer when he was 17, theatre officials said he had not been working with children in his role as development director.
It is not known at this time if the victims were involved at the theatre. I spoke with one parent who is “terrified” that the incident could involve children at the theatre, including their own.
Lyn Adams, the executive director of Oklahoma Children's Theatre, said in a statement that Benfall has since been fired.
“Oklahoma Children’s Theatre’s mission to provide live theatre and educational experiences for young audiences makes the news about the arrest of our former employee Nathan Benfall especially devastating. We were made aware yesterday that he was taken into custody; Oklahoma Children’s Theatre responded immediately by firing this person. For questions about his arrest, contact Travis Smith at the U.S. Attorneys Office, Media Engagement, (405) 553-8772. The children we serve and our community is our number one priority.”
Adams later told local news, "We are shocked and horrified by it.”
We are working with the authorities," she also said. "We are cooperating. Any questions that the authorities ask us we will answer to the best of our knowledge. It is terrible. It's the worst, the worst thing. It is terrible."
This is a developing story and will be updated as new information becomes available.