A former Sanibel camp counselor, Krystal Hurd, is facing serious charges and will not be going home anytime soon. A judge and prosecutors agreed not to grant her bond.

Hurd is accused of sexually assaulting at least one former Sanibel Recreation Center camper over a span of seven years. There are three other known victims at this time.

The crimes reportedly began in 2008, but the Lee County Sheriff’s Office did not start its investigation until 2020. The victims, who were pre-teens at the time of the alleged assaults, did not come forward until they were in their 20s.

“It’s called the hebophile,” said Laura Streffler, a therapist. “It’s, it’s a form of liking a young child. But instead of a pedophile, the age range is, it’s like 10, 11, 12.”

In court, Sgt. Timothy Teter from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, who led the investigation five years ago, provided testimony.

“State Prosecutor: Did the crimes occur with the four children in one county or several? Uh, more than one,” said Sgt. Timothy Teter.

The four victims are now adults and came forward to speak with Teter at ages 22 and 23. Streffler emphasized the difficulty of speaking about sexual abuse, regardless of how much time has passed.

“Think of as an adult, your first sexual experience, and thinking about deciding that you’re going to have to tell 10 strangers about it,” said Streffler. “How would it feel for you to go to 10 adult authority figure strangers that you don’t know and in detail, and having them ask you questions about your first sexual experience and then put that on steroids, that’s what it must feel like.”

The arrest report contains 19 pages of disturbing details. One instance discussed with Streffler highlights the manipulation involved.

“It’s very impactful. It’s not only minimizing it, it’s denying it,” said Streffler.

One of the victims discovered what was happening between Hurd and a boy victim during her senior year of high school. By then, Hurd had been having sex with the victim for seven years. When confronted, Hurd denied the allegations, claiming the victim “was just trying to seem cool.”

“It’s basically calling them a liar,” said Streffler. “And you know, there’s enough stigma about being a victim or victimization and just flat out saying that they’re lying and the fear that they won’t be believed, that somebody you know, especially somebody like a teacher or camp counselor or somebody in a position of power like that.”

Streffler recommended the Child Advocacy Center as a local resource for those in need of support.

Hurd is expected to return to court on November 24.