Investigation update: UCI police dispatcher placed on leave

UC Irvine placed police dispatcher Scott Cornelius on paid administrative leave Wednesday while the university investigates his involvement in taking photographs of unsuspecting high school boys water polo players that appeared on gay pornographic Web sites.

The Orange County Register also has learned that an online photography company given photo credit for non-action images of water polo players on gay porn Web sites is registered to Cornelius.

UCI police chief Paul Henisey said Cornelius, 44, was put on leave to avoid conflicts and help the investigation progress. Henisey said UCI has hired an independent investigator to assist with the Cornelius probe. Earlier this month, UCI started an investigation into "the off-duty photographic activities" of Cornelius, according to e-mails obtained by the Register.

"We are fully committed to the thorough completion to this outside investigation," Henisey said. "We obviously have great concerns."

Said Cornelius in a phone interview Wednesday before it was learned he was put on leave: "I can't comment on anything, sorry."

Henisey said the university is trying to determine whether Cornelius took inappropriate photographs under the name Scott Stanford. Scott Stanford has received photo credit on gay porn Web sites for dozens of non-action images of high school boys water polo players from Orange County and Southern California

A Web site for Scottstanfordphotography.com is registered to Cornelius. The domain created on Aug. 27, 2006 lists Cornelius as the site's "registrant" as well as his Tustin home address including his apartment number. The registrant's e-mail is listed as webmaster@shirtlessmuscle.com.

At least one Web site, boycollector.net, featured a Stanford photograph of an Orange County high school freshman. Some of the Stanford photographs have been placed next to nude young males or young males engaged in sexual acts. Boycollector.net removed the photos after the publication of a Register investigation over the weekend.

A photograph credited to Stanford of an unsuspecting Southern California water polo player adjusting his trunks has received thousands of hits on one Web site alone. The photo remains on several sites.

Www.shirtlessmuscle.com this month posted new photographs of Orange County high school water polo players and swimmers. Under the site's "friends" section are photographs of Allen Rockwell, 44, a Morongo Valley photographer. Rockwell has acknowledged in e-mails obtained by the Register that he has taken non-action photos of high school water polo players but denied doing anything wrong.

Shirtlessmuscle.com now defaults to AllenSnaps.com, an online photography company linked to Rockwell. "AllenSnaps" also has been credited for photos of high school water polo players and other aquatic athletes on more than a dozen gay Web sites with sexual content.

The CIF-Southern Section on Wednesday warned its 560-plus member schools to be on the lookout for suspicious photographers at athletic competitions.

In a section-wide memo, the CIF asked schools to "Please be vigilant to any out of the ordinary behavior by photographers on your pool decks, fields, courts and/or diamonds. Question those taking pictures without credentials (the photographers in question are not CIF-SS credentialed photographers). Be on the lookout for anyone taking pictures of only pool-deck activity and little to none of the action in the pool."

Parents have confirmed that some photographs discovered on gay porn sites were reposted from flickr.com sites intended only for the use by players' families and friends. It is not known who reposted the flickr.com photographs.

A non-action photograph of one prominent Orange County high school water polo player that has been the subject of numerous lewd comments on several gay porn sites was originally posted on a page with dozens of photographs taken by a parent for other parents and friends to purchase.

The Orange County District Attorney's office is conducting a review to determine whether posting the water polo photos on gay porn sites violated any laws.

Contact the writer: sreid@ocregister.com, dalbano@ocregister.com