An Ohio teacher has been charged with felony distribution and possession of child pornography after being busted by the FBI in a hotel room with a nude female child on July 26.
Mark Altherr, 45, of Cincinnati, was a fitness education teacher with the Oak Hills School District.
Local news station WCPO reports:The federal court documents say the FBI believes that beginning at least in December of 2023 and continuing into July 2024, Altherr distributed sexually explicit material depicting children on a website.
The site, launched around 2019, specifically describes itself as "a child pornography community," the court documents say.
The FBI's investigation showed Altherr was an active member of that website and posted files to it, some of which depicted child pornography, according to court documents. The FBI determined Altherr had been using the site since 2021 and that, in that time, he made at least 262 posts on the site — some of which were made just six months ago, according to court documents.
The former teacher replied to threads featuring nude children between the ages of three and five, as well as a thread showing children being sexually abused by an adult male.
The report states that Altherr also posted about sexually abusing a "10 year old neighbor," an "8 year old who had a crush on me" and a "4 year old I was looking after." Breaking: A Cincinnati, Ohio teacher has been federally charged with possession and distribution of child s—x abuse content.
Mark A. Altherr, a teacher in the Oak Hills Local School District, is accused of making hundreds of posts on a child p—n website. The victims in the… pic.twitter.com/iZbCUQvunN
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) July 30, 2024
The FBI used social media to track down Altherr and discovered that he is a teacher. Because of his access to children, the agency determined that it needed to act and went to his home on July 26. He was not there, but a ping of his phone determined that he was in Columbus.
The criminal complaint against Altherr states, "At approximately 7:54 p.m. on July 26, 2024, the Agent observed an individual fitting the description of Altherr enter the vehicle with a minor female."
The agents observed Altherr driving himself and the child to a hotel.
As this was happening, FBI agents were reviewing images posted by Altherr to the child pornography website. They determined the minor to be "in imminent danger when she entered the hotel with Altherr," according to the criminal complaint.
A warrant was executed and the female child was found nude in the hotel room.
The search of his home found images and videos of sexual abuse on children as 3-to-4 years old.
Altherr is no longer listed as an employee on the school district's website and the district told WCPO that he has been placed on administrative leave and "is prohibited from being on school grounds or having any contact with students or staff."
"Based on the evidence presented, the board of education intends to initiate termination proceedings," the district 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. When more information becomes available, and legally permissible, we will share it with families and the community."
Altherr faces up to 40 years in prison if convicted on both charges. He is currently being held on a federal retainer.
The FBI is seeking to identify additional victims.
If you believe you and/or your minor dependent(s) were victimized by Mark Altherr or if you have information relevant to this investigation, the FBI is asking for you to fill out this short form.
