A former elementary school counselor was sentenced to 25 years in prison Monday after admitting to being in possession of child pornography, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Todd Roatsey, former Pinch Elementary School counselor in West Virginia, confessed to pretending to be an 18-year-old boy on social media in order to obtain videos of minors doing what he told them were “‘sexy’ dance routines or gymnastics poses,” according to the DOJ. Roatsey pleaded guilty to possessing and redistributing child pornography in June prior to his sentencing. (RELATED: Ex-High School Teacher Faces 20 Child Pornography Charges)
“As an elementary school counselor, Roatsey intentionally placed himself in a position of trust over the kinds of children to whom he was sexually attracted,” U.S. Attorney Will Thompson said in a statement. “In our communities, schools are the only constant for a lot of children. A lot of the time, school is the safe place. The fact that Mr. Roatsey made this not a safe place was, I find, to be very horrific.”
In October 2021, Roatsey deleted his social media account on Snapchat after Homeland Security investigators confiscated devices from his home on a search warrant, according to the DOJ. Some evidence found on Snapchat became “inaccessible to law enforcement” because Roatsey had deleted the platform.
Former school counselor Todd Roatsey gets 25 years in prison on child pornography and enticement charges. @WOWK13News pic.twitter.com/BBbeoReu1E
— Mark Curtis (@MarkCurtisWOWK) December 19, 2022
Devices seized from Roatsey’s home contained videos and photos including infants and toddlers, the DOJ reported. Roatsey had more than 100 conversations on Snapchat with several 12-year-old girls.
Roatsey also admitted to sending the minor females videos of him masturbating and also obtained videos of the minors masturbating, according to the DOJ.
Pinch Elementary School did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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