Several school officials face child porn charges over last year

FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) - Since May of 2022, there have been five current or former school officials who have been charged for sexual relations with students or possession of child pornography in Fargo, West Fargo and Moorhead.

Three of the five have been in the West Fargo District.

The latest, 25-year-old Joshua Bowman made his first court appearance today. He is charged with possession of prohibited materials.

On Wednesday, his bond was set at $10,000 cash or $10,000 at 10% on condition of no contact with minors and participation in pretrial service program

Bowman, a Trinity Elementary School Para, and a substitute for the West Fargo District. According to court documents, Bowman was caught sharing videos of young boys on Snapchat.

There was also 39-year-old David George, the former principal at Independence Elementary in West Fargo. George’s child pornography was discovered on Instagram. Investigators said he was also asking for photos of young boys.

59-year-old Ronald Thompson, a former West Fargo High School computer science teacher, possessed child porn on Google Drive and also tried to lure what he believed was a 14-year-old girl into having sex with him.

Valley News Live reached out to the West Fargo School District, and they said:

“Prior to staff being hired.. They must successfully complete a background check. They are not hired if they’ve been charged with a felony, sexual offense, crime against a child, or any other crime the district believes poses a safety risk... Or could disrupt district operations. When the district is notified by law enforcement of charges against staff members, the charged staff member is placed on leave until additional information is available and a final decision on their employment status can be made.”

Since Joshua Bowman hadn’t been employed by West Fargo schools since December 2022, they declined our interview request.

In Fargo, 43-year-old Sebastian Tackling, Fargo South’s band teacher, was arrested for possession of child porn, as well as having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl.

In Moorhead, social studies teacher, 25-year-old Caleb Brush was arrested for uploading several files online showing sexual abuse of children on the app Kik.

Several of these predators were using social media to send pictures or videos. This is generally how they’re caught, as the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children tipping off officials.

Each of the school districts has resources available for students who may be affected by these situations, and parents are encouraged to monitor their children’s social media and phones to protect them.

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