Whitnall Middle School teacher charged with possession of child pornography
A Whitnall Middle School eighth-grade English teacher has been charged with possession of child pornography.
Ryan Craig, 37, was charged in Waukesha County Circuit Court on May 16 with two felony counts of possession of child pornography. If convicted, Craig could face up to 25 years in prison and $100,000 in fines for each count,, according to the criminal complaint.
Craig made his initial court appearance May 16 and was released on a $100,000 signature bond, according to online court records. A preliminary hearing for Craig has been scheduled for June 17.
Whitnall School District interim superintendent Kristen Taylor said in an email May 20 to a reporter that Craig is on unpaid administrative leave. Craig is no longer listed on the Whitnall School District's website as of May 20.
"As you are well aware the district is unable to legally take employment action based on arrest record or charges. Mr. Craig will remain on unpaid leave until the matter is resolved in the courts. The district will weigh legal options regarding employment at that time," Taylor said in her email.
Jason Luczak and Nicole Masnica, two attorneys with law firm Gimbel, Reilly, Guerin and Brown who are listed for Craig in online court records, did not immediately respond to phone or email messages seeking comment.
According to the complaint:
On April 23, Google reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that 15 images had been uploaded to Google Drive and Google Photos by email addresses later linked to Craig. Google labeled four of the photos as "pubescent minor engaged in a sex act" and nine of the images as a "pubescent minor engaged in lascivious exhibition." The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children called three of the images "apparent child pornography" and four of the images as "child unclothed." Police were tipped off two days later and determined three of the photos contained child sexual abuse material, the complaint said.
The complaint said that police were able to identify Craig as the subscriber to the Google account that uploaded the images. On May 15, police executed a search warrant at Craig's home and seized electronics for forensic analysis.
Contact Alec Johnson at (262) 875-9469 or alec.johnson@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @AlecJohnson12.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Whitnall Middle School teacher charged with possession of child pornography
