NAVASOTA, Texas — Editor's Note: If you know or suspect child abuse, call the Texas Abuse Hotline at 1-800-252-5400.
A teacher in the Brazos Valley has been arrested for the distribution and possession of child pornography, the FBI reports.
Daniel Byrd, 29, of College Station, is employed as a teacher at Navasota High School and was taken into custody Thursday, according to U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Bryd made his initial appearance before .S. Magistrate Judge Andrew M. Edison at 2 p.m. Friday.
According to the criminal complaint, Bryd reportedly came to the attention of law enforcement upon the discovery of a folder containing child pornography shared in a Kik chat group.
Officials said Byrd was allegedly in control of that folder.
The complaint states that Byrd reportedly used Kik and Telegram to view and download child pornography.
The complaint also said that he allegedly joined groups dedicated to sharing child pornography and would download content to his MEGA account.
Byrd would then post links from his MEGA account into Kik groups, thereby allowing others to access folders containing child pornography, according to the charges.
If convicted, Byrd faces up to 20 years for distribution of child pornography and a maximum of 10 years for possessing it.
For more information about internet safety education, click here.
The FBI - Bryan resident agency conducted the investigation with the assistance of the College Station Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Ann Leo is currently prosecuting the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
The FBI noted in their press release that a criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. Adding that a defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
