A former Douglas County teacher has landed behind bars after being charged with uploading child pornography to the social media platform Kik. FOX 5 Atlanta reports that the Douglas County Sheriff's Office was tipped off to the illegal content via cyber tips provided by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) on June 24.
The investigation led authorities to an Douglas County residence, where they reportedly executed a search warrant and seized multiple electronics. The suspect, identified as Maverick Austin Beaudreau, 26, was linked to the activity through a specific phone number and IP address. A subsequent forensic analysis confirmed the presence of the illegal videos and images on one of the seized devices.
Beaudreau, who is attributed to 14 counts of sexual exploitation of children under Georgia law, was taken into custody and is being held without bond, as stated by Patch. The arrest record at the Douglas County Jail noted his incarceration on Monday, denying bail due to concerns he may be a flight risk.
According to officials, Beaudreau resigned from his position as a gym teacher and baseball coach at Praise Christian Academy, a K-12 institution prior to his arrest. "This is the first time we've heard of any allegations of criminal activity about this former employee and we are not aware that anything criminal took place on school campus," a letter from the school assured parents. Neither the school nor its students appear to be directly linked to the crimes in question, as noted by FOX 5 Atlanta. The serious nature of Beaudreau's charges has led to the case being forwarded to Douglas County Superior Court.
