An Ohio elementary teacher has been arrested after FBI agents found him in a hotel room with a naked child, authorities said. He has been charged in federal court with child pornography, according to the U.S. Justice Dept.
A Cincinnati elementary teacher has been arrested and faces federal child pornography charges after FBI agents discovered him in a hotel room with a naked child, according to the U.S. Justice Department.
Mark Altherr, 44, is currently being held at the Butler County Jail awaiting transfer to federal custody, authorities said Thursday.
The physical education instructor had been under FBI surveillance for allegedly participating in online child pornography, authorities said. He was arrested last Friday in a nearby Columbus hotel, where federal agents tracking Altherr saw him take a child into his room, federal authorities allege.
Believing the girl was "in imminent danger," the agents knocked on the door and announced themselves, according to a federal criminal complaint.
Altherr opened the door, but tried to shut it, the complaint alleges. Agents entered and found a young girl "completely nude," the court document said. He was arrested and taken into custody, authorities said.
Authorities did not release information about the child found with him.
Altherr was placed on administrative leave this week after district officials learned of his arrest, according to a statement from Oak Hills Local Schools.
"Based on the evidence presented, the board of education intends to initiate termination proceedings," the statement said.
"The Oak Hills Local School District is working closely with and fully cooperating with the FBI and law enforcement agents regarding the ongoing investigation," the statement read. "When more information becomes available, and legally permissible, we will share it with families and the community."
Federal agents were investigating a dark web site known “to serve the pedophile community around the globe," when they discovered more than 200 posts from Altherr, according to the Justice Department.
In some of them, Altherr allegedly described his sexual abuse of children involving a "10 year old neighbor," an "8 year old who had a crush on me" and a "4 year old I was looking after," the complaint alleges.
In another post, the teacher allegedly responded to a thread titled, "3 to 5 year old cuties only," according to federal authorities.
Once agents determined Altherr was a school teacher, agents were dispatched to surveil his house, where they found no one was home and Altherr's car was gone, the complaint alleges. After pinging his cell phone, agents tracked him to a public location in Columbus, prosecutors claim.
There, Altherr was seen walking to a hotel room with a child, and agents decided to immediately step in, according to the federal complaint.
Agents also searched the man's home in suburban Cincinnati, where images of children being sexually assaulted were discovered on Altherr's electronic equipment, federal authorities alleged.
The FBI asks anyone who has information about the case to fill out a short online form.
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