All parents notified after minor students’ images AI-altered into sexual abuse material
UPDATE: On Thursday, July 23, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office said it had finished notifying all parents and guardians of Daisy Elementary School students whose images were altered into child sexual abuse material.
Notably, the sheriff’s office first received a cyber tip about the incident on April 21, and a detective obtained a search warrant on April 23. On that day, detectives located the 3,750 photos and videos, according to an affidavit.
Zackary Nelson was arrested on July 21 at Daisy Elementary School. It’s unclear why there was a three-month gap between when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children obtained the AI-altered images of students and staff members at the school, and when the sheriff’s office arrested Nelson and confirmed all parents of victims had been notified.
Nelson worked as a janitor at the elementary school, but he was not employed by the school; he was employed by ABM, which contracts to the school system. After reaching out to ABM for comment, they responded:
“Our highest priority is the safety and wellbeing of the students, teachers and staff in the schools we serve. We take this matter very seriously and can confirm the individual in question was immediately removed from the account while the matter is investigated.
We continue to cooperate with law enforcement and the school district. The individual completed the background screening requirements before beginning work at the school site, and to our knowledge, we are not aware of any concerns regarding the individual’s conduct at the school site prior to the arrest.”
The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office said it had identified the minor students whose photos were involved, but added that the investigation is ongoing; if further victims are discovered, parents will be notified.
Nelson is charged with sexual exploitation of a minor.
PREVIOUS STORY: Authorities arrested a former elementary school janitor this week after investigators say they discovered thousands of digitally altered explicit images and videos, including some depicting children and members of the school community.
According to investigators, 28-year-old Zackary Nelson was arrested Tuesday at Daisy Elementary School, where he worked as a janitor. The arrest followed the execution of a search warrant at his home.
Police said investigators found more than 3,000 digitally altered photos and videos of adults and children. Authorities allege that more than 100 of those images had been manipulated to portray children in various stages of nudity and explicit sexual acts.
A probable cause affidavit states that one of the altered images included students and an employee of Daisy Elementary School depicted in an explicit manner.
Nelson was transported to the Hamilton County Jail and charged with sexual exploitation of a minor. He has since bonded out.
Criminal defense attorney Robin Flores, who is not involved in the case, said Nelson's employment at the school could become a significant factor for prosecutors if they argue the images were connected to his workplace.
"On the defense end of it, I'd look at it as, 'Hey, look, anyone could access this. What if it was the guy's dad?' But then the state could look at it and say, 'Well, is it coincidence that he got it from where he works?'"
Flores also noted that cases involving artificial intelligence and digitally manipulated images are becoming more common in criminal courts. He said prosecutors and defense attorneys often rely on expert testimony to explain how the images were created and whether they depict real people.
"You have to have an expert to explain to a jury how this was created. If they can establish that he created it, then you have to contest whether the images depict a real person.”
Under Tennessee law, sexual exploitation of a child includes both real and computer-generated material. State law also provides enhanced penalties when a person possesses more than 100 prohibited images. A conviction can carry a prison sentence ranging from eight to 30 years and a fine of up to $25,000.
Nelson was employed by ABM, which contracts janitors to the school system. After reaching out to ABM for comment, they responded:
“Our highest priority is the safety and wellbeing of the students, teachers and staff in the schools we serve. We take this matter very seriously and can confirm the individual in question was immediately removed from the account while the matter is investigated.
We continue to cooperate with law enforcement and the school district. The individual completed the background screening requirements before beginning work at the school site, and to our knowledge, we are not aware of any concerns regarding the individual’s conduct at the school site prior to the arrest.”
The investigation remains ongoing.
PREVIOUS STORY: An affidavit provides new details in the case of an elementary school janitor, police say, who created child sexual abuse material by altering images of children and staff members at Daisy Elementary School.
According to the arrest affidavit, the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office received a referral from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in March concerning an account associated with Zackary Nelson.
Investigators say the referral included an image depicting two children and an adult staff member at the school.
The arrest narrative states investigators obtained a search warrant for the reported account, which contained approximately 3,750 photos and videos. More than 100 of those images had allegedly been altered in a sexual nature.
According to the narrative, investigators determined Nelson had child sexual abuse material.
Nelson was taken into custody on outstanding warrants and is facing a charge of sexual exploitation of a minor.
Hamilton County Schools told Local 3 News that "Please note custodians are not employees of Hamilton County Schools, and we cannot provide any information regarding their employment. Please direct any questions regarding the investigation to the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office."
PREVIOUS STORY: An elementary school janitor is facing a sexual exploitation of a minor charge regarding the manufacture of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) says.
Zackary Nelson was arrested on July 21 at Daisy Elementary School, where he worked as a janitor.
A search warrant was executed at Nelson's home, and numerous electronic devices were seized, HCSO says.
He is being held at the Hamilton County Jail & Detention Center.
The Criminal Investigations Unit commented on the case, saying, "If you choose to exploit children from a computer, remember that we still make house calls. Don't be surprised when you look up from the screen and see us."
No further details are available at this time.
Former college professor sentenced to 18 years in federal child exploitation case
FRESNO — A former university professor from West Sacramento was sentenced to more than 18 years in federal prison on Friday for attempting to entice a minor and receiving and distributing child sexual abuse material, federal prosecutors announced.
In addition to his prison term, Githens was ordered to serve 10 years of supervised release following his imprisonment, pay $75,000 in fines, and register as a sex offender. During his supervised release, his access to the internet, computers, and minors will be strictly restricted.
Federal authorities said Githens had previously worked as a college professor at a local university and served as a consultant for higher education institutions.
According to court documents, the investigation began in March 2023 when Githens, operating under the profile name “Tall laid-back," reached out on the messaging application Grindr to an account operated by an undercover law enforcement agent.
Githens soon urged the agent to move their conversation to Telegram, which he described as a more secure platform. During the exchanges, Githens expressed a desire to be invited by a family member to engage in sexual acts, describing in graphic detail what he wished to do with the undercover agent and the agent’s fictional 7-year-old niece.
On multiple occasions, Githens discussed traveling to Fresno to meet the undercover agent and the fictional child.
However, before any meeting occurred, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Githens’s residence on April 19, 2023, seizing several electronic devices. On Githens’s phone, federal agents uncovered numerous Telegram chat logs where he was actively trading and commenting on videos depicting the sexual abuse of young children.
US DOJ: Former Navarre, Florida gymnastics coach pleads guilty to sexual exploitation of children
WASHINGTON, D.C.. (WALA) - The United States Department of Justice says a former Navarre, Florida, gymnastics coach and social media content creator has pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of children.
Here is some information from a U.S. Department of Justice press release:
The Office of Public Affairs says Theresa Mitchell, 44, formerly of Navarre, Florida, pleaded guilty Monday in federal court to one count of conspiracy to produce and distribute child pornography, two counts of production of child pornography, one count of receipt of child pornography, one count of possession of child pornography, and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
The release from DOJ says according to court documents, between 2023 and 2025, Theresa Mitchell conspired with Christopher Buckeridge to produce and sell images of minor children engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
The release says Mitchell sold and distributed those images and videos to customers on social media platforms, messaging applications, and subscription-based websites. It says Buckeridge also sent Mitchell hundreds of images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of minors, including material that depicted the sadistic sexual abuse of prepubescent children. DOJ says ultimately, Mitchell received hundreds of thousands of dollars from selling images and videos of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
On March 17, a federal magistrate judge issued a warrant for the arrest of Mitchell and Buckeridge. Mitchell was arrested by federal agents in central Pennsylvania on March 19 and remains in custody.
DOJ says Mitchell faces a minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison on the child pornography production and conspiracy counts.
Mitchell also faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on the child pornography receipt and possession counts, as well as the money laundering conspiracy count. If convicted, Mitchell will be required to pay restitution to her victims and to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). A U.S. district judge will determine Mitchell’s sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Oct. 14.
The release says this case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Little information is available on Buckeridge except that he appears to be out of the country.
According to Grok:
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