A local camp counselor is accused of sexually abusing young boys and girls for years.
Wednesday morning, new details emerged about the alleged horrific encounters.
Lee County investigators revealed that Krystal Hurd, who worked for the Sanibel Recreation Center, part of the Sanibel Sea School, has been arrested. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office stated that Hurd met at least one victim at the center, whom she groomed. The victims include one boy and three girls, all of whom are adults now.
Investigators said Hurd met all of the victims while she was a counselor at the recreation center. The victims reportedly spent considerable time with Hurd both at the school and outside of it, with two of them living with Hurd and her husband for several years.
The 19-page arrest report detailed that Hurd specifically targeted these four victims because their parents were not highly involved in their lives. Hurd reportedly influenced how the victims dressed and took them to various locations around town, where the sexual abuse occurred between 2008 and 2014.
The majority of the arrest report focuses on the male victim, who first met Hurd when he was in fifth grade. According to the report, the first incident of sexual abuse occurred when the male victim was 12 years old and continued until he was 19 years old. The report alleges that during school breaks, Hurd would take him to multiple hotels, some in Lee County, where the abuse took place.
The investigation began when the male victim contacted Hurd’s mother-in-law about the abuse, who then reported it to law enforcement. Hurd is currently charged with familial or custodial sexual battery, a felony charge.
Investigators conducted victim interviews back in 2020, and the arrest report mentions that they had more than 1,700 photographs and 100 videos of evidence to analyze, which contributed to the delay in making an arrest.
Hurd is scheduled to appear in court Thursday morning. WINK News is committed to continuing coverage of this story both on-air and online.