Prison nurse shows child nude photo of himself inside arcade, California officials say
A prison nurse accused of showing young children nude photos of himself at a California pier has been arrested, officials say.
Benjamin Bush, the 46-year-old Kern County man, was arrested Oct. 29 on multiple charges stemming from September incidents, the Santa Monica Police Department said in a Nov. 14 news release.
The man was hired as a registered nurse at the California Correctional Institution, Tehachapi, in January 2020, a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation spokesperson said in a Nov. 15 email to McClatchy News.
Since his arrest, “he has been on administrative time off,” the spokesperson said.
“CDCR resolutely condemns any staff member who violates their oath and shatters the trust of the public,” the spokesperson said.
As the nurse was standing outside Pacific Park at the Santa Monica Pier the evening of Sept. 18, he is accused of “intentionally” showing a nude picture of himself to three 9-year-old children, police said.
Before this incident, Bush is accused of showing the same photo of himself to a different child inside Playland Arcade, according to police.
Police said detectives arrested the nurse on multiple charges, including child annoyance and distributing harmful matter to a minor, on Oct. 29 after “an intensive investigation.”
Bush had no criminal history prior to this arrest, according to police.
McClatchy News reached out to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office and is awaiting a response on formal charges.
The nurse was cited and released a day after his arrest, jail records show. He is expected to appear in court Jan. 29.
This story was originally published November 15, 2024 at 12:04 PM with the headline "Prison nurse shows child nude photo of himself inside arcade, California officials say."
