ADRIAN, Mich. — A former substitute teacher at Lenawee Christian Schools and youth sports coach is accused of uploading 93 pornographic photos of minors to a popular photo sharing website according to Federal Court documents from the Eastern District of Michigan obtained by WTOL.
Documents from the FBI estimate that the youngest child in the images is three years old. Two of the minors were able to be identified by parents and a school official and the photos appear to have been taken in Thomas' house around Thanksgiving 2018 according to his wife.
Additional teenage girls were identified from their school sports team photos. All victims that have been identified have been confirmed as members of Thomas' community.
The Head of the Lenawee Christian School Tom Held confirmed Thomas was a substitute there as well as a community youth coach. Since the school learned about the photos and allegations, Thomas has since been fired. Held issued a statement listed in part below.
"Lenawee Christian School has been in contact with law enforcement officials and has cooperated fully with this investigation. As of this morning, we have terminated Mr. Thomas’ relationship with the school. Continuing to provide a safe and nurturing environment for children at Lenawee Christian School is our most important concern. We understand the grave concerns you have regarding this matter, and we assure you that prior to his employment, Mr. Thomas was subject to the rigorous background screening that is required of all Michigan educational staff. Immediately upon learning of the investigation and working in concert with law enforcement officials, we acted to assure the safety of our students."
This is a developing story. We will continue to update with more details.
