St. Charles school official charged with child pornography possession

Daniel Ott, assistant principal at Hollenbeck Middle School, was charged Friday with one count of possessing child pornography. He is held on a $500,000 cash-only bond.

St. Charles assistant principal held on $500,000 bond after child pornography charge

Daniel Ott, assistant principal at Hollenbeck Middle School in St. Charles, Missouri, was charged Friday with one count of possession of child pornography, firstalert4.com reports.

A spokesperson for the St. Charles County Prosecuting Attorney's Office confirmed the charge. Ott is being held at the St. Charles County jail on a $500,000 cash-only bond.

According to a probable cause statement, investigators reviewed conversations Ott conducted on the Kik and Telegram messaging apps. In those exchanges, Ott discussed the sexual abuse of children with other users and identified himself as a middle school principal. In one message, he wrote of eighth-grade students: "Some 8th graders are hot as hell."

Investigators say multiple child sexual abuse material images were recovered from Ott's phone.

Francis Howell Superintendent Mark Delaney sent a letter to the school community confirming that Ott had been placed on administrative leave following his arrest. He had served as assistant principal at Hollenbeck since 2024.

Delaney stated that there is currently no indication that any Hollenbeck Middle School students were involved in Ott's alleged offences.

Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)