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Kentucky Teacher Accused of Enticing Child, 13, in Dallas

Dallas police investigation reveals a 13-year-old male exchanged nude and sexually explicit photographs of himself with an adult male, Homeland Security says

A Louisville, Kentucky, high school teacher and assistant coach was arrested Tuesday for allegedly engaging in unlawful online communications with a 13-year-old boy from Dallas, according to U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

In addition to unlawful communication, 33-year old Patrick Newman was charged with violating child exploitation laws as well as possession of child pornography stemming from an investigation by DHS.

Acting U.S. Attorney John E. Kuhn Jr., Western District of Kentucky, announced the charges in a news release Wednesday.

Authorities say the two used the social media applications Vine and KIK to communicate, and that Newman, "used a means or facility of interstate commerce to knowingly persuade, induce, entice or coerce" the boy "to engage in sexual activity for which a person can be charged with a criminal offense." 

"At this point, the charges relate only to online activity," said Kuhn, in a news release. "Law enforcement has no information at present about criminal conduct other than online activity. These very disturbing allegations should underscore how important it is for parents to be aware of their children's Internet activity. The Department of Justice is committed to our children’s safety and to prosecuting those who prey on the most vulnerable."

According to the affidavit attached to the criminal complaint, on Jan. 23 the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a CyberTip on Twitter regarding the upload of 12 child pornography videos to VINE, including one image uploaded from the Dallas area between Dec. 28 and 30 in 2014.

A Dallas Police Department investigation revealed the 13-year-old boy had exchanged nude and sexually explicit photographs of himself with an adult male in March 2015 using KIK messenger.

A search warrant of Newman’s Louisville residence was executed Tuesday morning by Homeland Security special agents.

Newman was arrested and is currently in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. A detention hearing is scheduled for June 5.

If convicted, Newman faces 15 years to life in prison and up to a lifetime of supervised release.

The following documents are provided by the Department of Homeland Security to help parents educate their children on online saftey:

DV.load("//www.documentcloud.org/documents/2093159-protectingkidsonline-ice.js", { width: 650, height: 800, sidebar: false, container: "#DV-viewer-2093159-protectingkidsonline-ice" }); ProtectingKidsOnline ICE (PDF)
ProtectingKidsOnline ICE (Text)
 
DV.load("//www.documentcloud.org/documents/2093157-socialnetworking-tips-parents-ice.js", { width: 650, height: 800, sidebar: false, container: "#DV-viewer-2093157-socialnetworking-tips-parents-ice" }); SocialNetworking Tips Parents ICE (PDF)
SocialNetworking Tips Parents ICE (Text)
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