Hollywood acting coach Cameron Thor, who was accused of sexually assaulting one of his young former students, has been found guilty of performing a lewd act on a minor. Thor was convicted Wednesday on one of the 13 counts against him after one day of jury deliberation in a Los Angeles courtroom.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 9, and could face at least three years in a state prison. Thor was arrested on June 3, 2014 and faced multiple charges that including kidnapping, lewd acts on a child and sexual penetration after victim Jordyn Ladell, now 19, came forward and claimed the acting coach had sexually assaulted her when she was just 13 years old. She was in eighth grade at the time.
“I’m at a loss for words to describe the feeling of taking back the life that was stolen from me seven years ago,” Jordyn told “Nightline” in a statement today. “When I heard the guilty verdict, I felt like a burden had been lifted off of me and the relief was overwhelming to the point of tears.”
“We are happy to have this entire ordeal behind us,” her father Dean Ladell added. “We look forward to supporting Jordyn as she starts to heal and starts to get her life back on track.”
The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office declined to comment on the case.
Thor was known around Hollywood as a high-profile acting coach, who claimed on his now defunct website to have worked with a host of celebrities including Cameron Diaz, Johnny Knoxville and Madonna. He has also played bit parts in blockbusters like “Jurassic Park,” “A Few Good Men” and “Star Trek.”
It took Jordyn years to report the sexual assault to police because she said she struggled to understand what had happened. But after she came forward last year, Jordyn helped authorities in a series of attempted sting operations to get Thor arrested.
Jordyn, who first shared her story with the Hollywood Reporter, said the assault took place in Thor’s car at a remote location in Encinal Canyon in March 2009.
“He got on top of me and was kissing me,” Jordyn told “Nightline” in an interview this spring. “And he took that… black and white striped thing that I had on off and was kissing me and leaning over on me and was grabbing me, putting his hands in my shirt. And he undid my pants and put his finger in my pants.”
At the time, she said her family had fallen on hard times and Thor had convinced her and her mother to take acting classes from him for free so that Jordyn could help support her family as a young actress. Jordyn said the few lessons she attended took place at Thor’s home and that when they were alone Thor repeatedly touched her inappropriately.
She kept quiet about what she said happened until finally, about half a year later, when Jordyn confided in her older teenage cousin, Karlie, who told her uncle Dean Ladell what she had said.
Four years later, after seeking counseling, Jordyn went to the police and agreed to be part of a sting operation designed to get Thor to incriminate himself. After two attempts, Thor was arrested.
Jordyn said navigating the criminal justice system has been a horrifying ordeal and telling her story hasn’t been easy. But no matter the outcome, she feels she’s done the right thing by coming forward.
“The entire time I have gained strength knowing that if I succeeded I could be a voice for others who have gone through the same thing as me,” Jordyn told “Nightline” today. “With a guilty verdict, I am now able to be that voice and hope for others.”