Education

Former Teacher’s Assistant Pleads Guilty In Child Pornography Case

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Alexa Schwerha Contributor
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A former teacher’s assistant in Little Rock, Arkansas, pleaded guilty to three counts of child pornography charges on Tuesday.

Augustus Shenker, who formerly worked at Miss Selma’s School with students from ages 18 months to fifth grade, pleaded guilty after video evidence showed him sexually abusing children in a school classroom, according to the Eastern District of Arkansas U.S. Attorney’s Office news release. Additionally, 19 videos taken in the same classroom were retrieved from Shenker’s phone, as well as over 1,000 images of child pornography from various devices. (RELATED: Former Elementary School Counselor Sentenced To 25 Years In Prison For Child Pornography)

“Mr. Shenker’s conviction demonstrates the unwavering dedication and adamant determination of the investigators who serve on our Violent Crime squad,” FBI Little Rock special agent in charge (SAC) James Dawson said in a statement provided to the Daily Caller News Foundation. “FBI agents, professional support staff, and local law enforcement partners worked tirelessly to uncover Mr. Shenker’s abominable crimes while ensuring his victims and their families received assistance. Alongside our partners at the U.S. Attorney’s office, FBI Little Rock’s Violent Crime squad will continue to relentlessly identify, investigate, and prosecute predators who seek to harm children within our community.”

The FBI received a tip in May that Shenker “possessed seven videos containing child pornography” through a Dropbox account which was linked to his name, after which he was criminally charged. He was indicted in June 2021 by a grand jury after retrieval of the videos and charged with 22 counts of child pornography production and one count of possession.

Shenker pleaded guilty to three of the production counts on Tuesday. He will be charged at a later date, according to the news release.

Shenker admitted in an interview with the FBI that he had a problem with child pornography but claimed that he hadn’t viewed such files in several years. The videos retrieved from his phone, however, were dated March 2021.

“This defendant violated the trust parents placed in him each day by placing their children in his care,” United States Attorney Jonathan Ross said in the news release. “Using his position to exploit preschoolers is an unthinkable abuse, especially in their own school—the very place we expect children to be protected. We appreciate the hard work of the FBI in identifying and arresting this defendant and hope this conviction deters others who would harm children.”

The Eastern District of Arkansas did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment. Miss Selma’s School could not be reached as it closed in 2021.

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