Man awarded League City Volunteer of the Year arrested for child pornography, officials say

LEAGUE CITY, Texas (KTRK) -- The League City Volunteer of the Year, who worked with a youth theater program, is now facing child pornography charges.

After David Nolder received the honor, the city released a video of him and even shared an image of him holding an award in the monthly newsletter.

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But a recent mugshot of Nolder brought some parents to tears.

"I mean, this is crazy the world that we live in," parent Cara Crook said. "It's just really sad. It's really sad."

In June, court documents revealed Nolder was charged with two counts of child pornography. The Galveston County Sheriff's Office says it discovered a hard drive at his home with hundreds of images of naked children as young as 8.

It stemmed from an investigation involving the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. It's a terrifying arrest for parents because Nolder worked with the city's youth theater program by building sets.

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He was given the title only a few months ago.

"It's definitely not something you want to hear," Michelle Leining, another parent, explained. "It's not good. My kids are grown, but no matter what age, it's just something you don't want to hear."

"It was heartbreaking," Tierra Fair said. "I just couldn't believe it. It was sad and it made me want to cry, you know."

A League City spokesperson said it does background checks on specific volunteers, including those who work with kids during games, senior citizens, and guest speakers at summer camps. Nolder did not go through a background check, however.

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The city explained why in a statement.

"Mr. Nolder is not an instructor or Volunteer with the League City Parks and Recreation Department. In the past, he has assisted his wife with building sets and coordinating lighting and audio for theater performances and rehearsals. Due to his recent arrest and charges against him, he will not be allowed on city property to assist his wife with the city's youth theater program."

Despite this, the city says it's reviewing its volunteer policy.

"They should make changes and do better background checks on people because evidently, something slipped through the cracks here for sure," Leining said.

Although deputies have not found evidence to indicate more than child porn possession, with the attention the case has received, they say if anyone has any new information, they'd ask them to come forward.

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