Washington County teacher admits to possessing, distributing child porn from students
A former Washington County High School teacher admitted to possessing and distributing pictures of students in sexually explicit acts in front of a federal judge in Macon Tuesday.
Michael Dendy, 33, from Milledgeville, was charged with 21 child pornography offenses on July 11, 2023, which includes producing, distributing and possessing child pornography. He pleaded guilty to producing and distributing child pornography as part of an agreement with prosecutors. Two of the victims and their families were present in the courtroom while Dendy pleaded guilty in front of Judge Marc Treadwell.
For producing child pornography, he is expected to face 15 to 20 years of prison time. For distributing child pornography, he is expected to face five to 30 years in prison. For pleading guilty to both of those charges, he will pay a fine up to $250,000. The U.S. Attorney’s office also said he faces a maximum term of supervised release for life and will also have to register as a sex offender.
“Michael Allen Dendy’s guilty plea marks a significant step towards justice for the heinous crimes committed,” said Washington County Sheriff Joel Cochran. “We are resolute in our commitment to safeguarding our children and ensuring that those who prey on them are held accountable.”
Former teacher posed as minor, shared explicit videos of students
According to prosecutors, Dendy had two Instagram accounts — one account posing as a young girl and another as a young boy — to persuade students at Washington County High School to engage in sexual conduct, film it and share it with Dendy. He then shared the images on a Discord server.
He also uploaded a video to his Discord server of a minor, who was between ages 14 and 15, engaging in sexually explicit conduct, the U.S. Attorney’s office said.
He taught at Washington County High School from 2020 until 2023, after his arrest by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. After a search warrant was executed at Dendy’s residence, deputies of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office came across roughly 80,000 documents from hard drives, a laptop and a cell phone that featured sexually explicit images of 17 minors. He had collected these images for about five years, according to prosecutors.
“It’s a nightmare for parents to imagine a trusted teacher catfishing students and then posting sexually explicit images of these kids on social media,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “Thanks to good police work, a child predator is off the streets and will be held accountable for the suffering and pain he has caused. Furthermore, this case is an important reminder that online predators are a real threat, and parents must exercise vigilance.”
He previously taught at Starkville High School in Starkville, Mississippi, from 2014 to 2016, St. Charles High School in Waldorf, Maryland, from 2017 to 2018 and Griffin High School in Georgia from 2018 to 2020. The U.S. Attorney’s office is asking parents and guardians of children who may have encountered Dendy and have concerns relating to the investigation to contact the Homeland Security Investigations tip line at 1-866-347-2423.
As per the request of his attorney, public defender Catherine Williams, Dendy will be sentenced between Nov. 7.
