The United Brethren in Christ Academy in Holly Hill has fired sixth-grade teacher David McKeown arrested June 20 on charges of possession of child sexual abuse material and possession of animal pornography.
In a statement emailed to the school community, UBIC administrators said they were “shocked and deeply grieved by the serious allegations of misconduct against him” and that they were cooperating fully with law enforcement authorities.
McKeown, 47, of Holly Hill, was arrested by the Holly Hill Police Department after detectives discovered “several messages where he was communicating with other users, disseminating students’ personal information, sending their photographs, and appeared to utilize artificial intelligence (AI) to generate child pornography,” according to police.
The teacher also “manufactured animal pornography by photographing himself performing sexual acts on the family pet.”
Attorney General announces charges
Attorney General James Uthmeier’s Office of Statewide Prosecution has announced it is charging McKeown with 19 enhanced felony counts of possession of child sexual abuse material and six counts of possession of animal pornography.
In a news release June 20, Uthmeier said: “As a teacher, parents trusted Mr. McKeown to impart knowledge to their children. Instead, he spent parts of the school day sending and receiving child sex abuse material and providing other pedophiles with UBIC Academy students’ personal information. What he did is beyond betrayal — it’s devastating and sick.”
McKeown made a first appearance at Volusia County Court Saturday morning, June 21, and bail was set at $1.25 million. He faces up to 315 years in prison if convicted of these crimes. Other charges are pending.
Pornographic material was sent from UBIC Wi-Fi
UBIC Academy is a self-described Christian K-12 school. It is not known how many years McKeown was employed as a teacher at the school.
Police say the investigation started with a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. This led to an investigation of the suspect’s computer and social media accounts, where investigators say they found incriminating pictures.
Initial search warrants revealed that McKeown was disseminating, downloading, and communicating with users on Discord—a popular group chat service—during school hours and while connected to the UBIC Academy Wi-Fi.
The investigation is active and ongoing.
Anyone with information related to this investigation is asked to immediately contact Holly Hill Police Chief Byron K. Williams at 386-248-9475. If your child may have been involved in this case, please contact Victim Advocate Coordinator Daisy Gonzalez at 386-248-9435.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: ‘Devastating and sick’: Volusia Christian school fires teacher jailed on child porn charges
Reporting by Colleen Michele Jones, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
