Child porn suspect is Forest Hills worker
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A Rockford-area man who has been arrested on federal child pornography charges is a school worker who was recently placed on leave.
Bradley Arkesteyn, 28, is accused of distribution or receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography, a federal criminal complaint shows.
Sources told News 8 that Arkesteyn is the Forest Hills Public Schools cleaner who has been placed on administrative leave.
In a Thursday letter to parents (PDF), the district’s interim superintendent confirmed that “the individual identified in the media is an FHPS employee hired in January of 2023.”
“As a cleaner, he worked in multiple buildings,” the letter added.
Forest Hills Public Schools employee arrested, district says
FBI: SUSPECT SHARED CHILD PORN WITH UNDERCOVER AGENT
A federal court document written by an FBI agent says authorities started investigating Arkesteyn when an undercover agent out of Washington, D.C. came across him on the messaging app Kik in a group whose members were talking about and distributing child porn. The FBI says someone using the screen name “bradarkesteyn95” asked for child pornography and posted several such images.
Last week, the agent started a private message with Arkesteyn in which Arkesteyn allegedly admitted to being attracted to children. According to the document, he allegedly told the undercover agent that he had bought child porn using the messaging app Telegram and shared some of that material with the agent.
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Arkesteyn said he worked at an elementary school and talked to the children there, several of whom were friendly with him, the document says.
It was enough for the FBI to send Kik an emergency request for the user’s information. Kik sent back an email address attached to the account and the user’s IP address. The internet provider then gave the FBI the IP’s street address. That led them to Arkesteyn.
The FBI searched his home near Rockford on Tuesday. They say when they looked through his phone, they found child porn links.
When agents interviewed Arkesteyn, the document says, he admitted to receiving and sending child porn through Kik and Telegram and said he had been viewing child porn for about a decade. The FBI says he added that he used to get nude photos of minors through the now-defunct chat site Omegle.
“Arkesteyn said he didn’t feel bad or guilty after looking at child pornography,” the document reads in part.
Arkesteyn told investigators he had been working as a custodian at two elementary schools and that he was around kids during lunch, the document says, but that he had not had physical contact with any of them.
“Arkesteyn admitted to smelling the shoes of 1st through 4th grade students. He claimed this was an involuntary action that he could not control,” the document says.
A MOTHER’S INTUITION
Even before Arkesteyn was arrested, a Forest Hills parent asked another parent who volunteers at one of the schools to “keep an eye on him.”
In text messages shared to News 8, the school mom, who didn’t want to be identified, raised concerns about Arkesteyn and his behavior. She said he had been working as a cleaner at Collins Elementary and Northern Trails 5/6.
“He has given me the ick at (Northern Trails),” she said in a text message, going on to say that her daughter “talks about him nonstop… He told her yesterday that she is the only student (whose) name he remembers and has described his girlfriend to her.”
After learning Arkesteyn was arrested, the mom reached out to News 8. She said the case is an important reminder for parents and students to say something if they feel like something or someone is off.
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In the Thursday letter to parents, FHPS Interim Superintendent Sara Magaña Shubel said Arkesteyn was placed on leave “immediately” after administrators learned of his arrest. She said that the district could not say much because of the criminal investigation and because this is a personnel matter.
The letter reiterated that the district has “contracted with an external security company to conduct additional building searches for any non-district-issued technology device” and that it is cooperating with law enforcement.
“Our commitment to student safety is at the forefront of all we do,” the letter read in part. “We understand this news is profoundly upsetting. If you believe your child may need additional support or may need to talk with someone, please have them reach out to a trusted adult, a school counselor, a teacher, or a principal.”
The superintendent asked parents for their support and patience.
PDF: Thursday letter from FHPS
The court document says Arkesteyn has no criminal history. He remains in federal custody pending his detention hearing, which is set for Monday, along with a preliminary hearing.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan is committed to protecting our most vulnerable citizens from child exploitation. We will continue working with law enforcement partners to hold offenders accountable,” a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a Thursday morning statement to News 8.
—Target 8 investigator Susan Samples contributed to this report.
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