A 44-year-old elementary school teacher in Cincinnati, Ohio, is facing federal child pornography charges after allegedly being caught in a hotel room with a naked child.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had been surveilling the Delshire Elementary physical education teacher, identified as Mark Altherr, for allegedly taking part in child pornography on the internet, Inside Edition reported on Friday.
The suspect is accused of being a member of a website described as a “child pornography community” since 2021 and made several hundred posts on it, according to Local 12:
A Greater Cincinnati teacher has been arrested and faces federal child porn charges.
— Local 12/WKRC-TV (@Local12) July 30, 2024
He allegedly was a user on a website that describes itself as a "child pornography community." He had been a member since 2021 and made at least 262 posts.https://t.co/bpLhbk43Ez pic.twitter.com/ASXBeg215I
Local 12 said Altherr was called a “senior member” of the website:
He was arrested at a hotel in Columbus on July 26 after agents reportedly watched the suspect take a child into his room. The Inside Edition article continued:
Believing the girl was “in imminent danger,” the agents knocked on the door and announced themselves, according to a federal criminal complaint.
Altherr opened the door, but tried to shut it, the complaint alleges. Agents entered and found a young girl “completely nude,” the court document said. He was arrested and taken into custody, authorities said.
Law enforcement believes there may be more victims in the case, per WCPO.
“It makes me sick at my stomach,” a man who lives next door to the school told the outlet when he learned of the allegations. “It just makes me so frickin’ sick,” he said.
The suspect is being held at the Butler County Jail while he waits for officials to transfer him to federal custody. In regard to his job, Altherr was placed on administrative leave but the board of education is planning to begin termination proceedings.
In his posts on the dark web site, Altherr allegedly described sexually abusing a 10 year old, an eight year old, and a four year old.
When agents searched his home, they allegedly found images of children being sexually assaulted on his electronic equipment.
Breaking: A Cincinnati, Ohio teacher has been federally charged with possession and distribution of child s—x abuse content.
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) July 30, 2024
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
The Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN) website defines child sexual abuse as abuse that “includes sexual activity with a minor.”
The site also notes that such illegal and damaging activity can be perpetrated by someone the child or family knows.
“A perpetrator does not have to be an adult to harm a child. They can have any relationship to the child including an older sibling or playmate, family member, a teacher, a coach or instructor, a caretaker, or the parent of another child,” the site reads.
