South Bay parents upset after camp counselor arrested for child porn

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, Calif. (KGO) -- Parents are outraged after learning about a Bay Area camp counselor's arrest for allegedly possessing hundreds of images of child pornography.

Edgar Covarrubias, 27, an employee at Santa Clara County's Walden West Science Camp, was arrested Thursday. Police say they found the child porn images on his computer and now several camp parents want to know if he secretly took any pictures of their children.

"It makes you physically ill to know that we sent them somewhere that was supposed to be a fun, safe once-in-a-lifetime memory," parent Amanda Barnett said.

Barnett's 5th grade daughter attended Walden West Science Camp near Cupertino and the kids all knew Covarrubias. He was arrested for possessing more than 300 child porn images and video. Police found them on his computer at the overnight camp that teaches children about nature.

Covarrubias posted photos of the camp on his Facebook page. He was the night host who was nicknamed "Papa Bear".

"He was supposed to be awake all night to address any concerns of the campers. If they were uncomfortable with anything, they were supposed to go to Papa Bear," Barnett said.

Barnett and several parents want to know if Covarrubias took inappropriate pictures of their children and they want school officials to hold a meeting to answer their questions.

"How do we know that he did not place cameras in the showers, in the toilets, things like that?" Barnett asked.

"He may have taken pictures of our kids. He was going in the cabin to wake up our kids in the morning," parent Alda Moore.

The Santa Clara County Office of Education says Covarrubias passed a criminal background check when he was hired two years ago.