Former Macon teacher to serve six years for exploiting ‘the innocence of children’
A former Macon teacher, coach and youth ministry leader who previously admitted to possessing child pornography over the summer will serve six years in prison, the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Middle District of Georgia said Wednesday.
Christian Baumgarth, a 28-year-old Atlanta resident, learned Wednesday that he would have to serve 25 years of supervised release on top of serving six years in prison. He also will have to register as a sex offender once he leaves the prison system.
He was sentenced by Judge Marc Treadwell.
An investigation into Baumgarth found that he worked as a teacher and coach for First Presbyterian Day School from 2018 until his arrest in 2023. He also volunteered as a small group leader in the student ministry at Northway Church from 2019 until 2023.
Federal agents searched Baumgarth’s home on Aug. 1, 2023, where they seized an iPhone 14 and iPhone 11 that had 20 images and 13 videos of child abuse and exploitation stored on them. Prosecutors also mentioned that some of those images and videos depicted “the sexual abuse or exploitation of an infant or toddler.”
Baumgarth admitted to the crime once interviewed by law enforcement, the U.S. Attorney’s office said.
“In his role as a teacher, volunteer and coach, Mr. Baumgarth held positions of trust in the community while simultaneously exploiting the innocence of children behind closed doors,” said Steven Schrank, the special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Atlanta.
Federal prosecutors were able to prosecute Baumgarth through a nationwide initiative combating child sexual exploitation and abuse called Project Safe Childhood. It is led by the U.S. Attorney’s office and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section. They ask that anyone with information on suspected child sexual exploitation can contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by calling 1-800-THE-LOST or by filing a report online.
“Working alongside law enforcement and child advocacy groups, we will root out predators involved in the online sexual exploitation of children and hold them accountable for their crimes,” U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia Peter D. Leary said.
This story was originally published November 21, 2024 at 10:35 AM.
