Kennewick Para Educator Arrested At School for Child Sexual Exploitation

Police said the man previously worked for the Pasco School District.

  54-Year-Old Pasco Man Arrested on Child Exploitation Charges

Richland Police said they arrested a man at Cottonwood Elementary where he worked, and he was jailed on his role in a child sexual exploitation investigation.

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Kevin Royal Johnson had worked for Cottonwood since last August,  authorities said he's facing  possession and distribution of depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct counts.  He also worked for Pasco SD, and is reportedly closely affiliated with a church in Pasco.

Police were first tipped off with a tip from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC).  They patrol the internet and the Dark Web looking for suspicious traffic related to child sex crimes.

  The Suspect Used AI to Fabricate Pornographic Images

The case involves Johnson seeking out images of a 12-year-old female from several social media platforms.  The tip revealed Johnson had downloaded images of 12-year-olds in sexual activities.  He used AI to take the images of the victim to create sexual activity.  Police said the victim is a real person, but does not live in WA state.

According to Officers, Johnson was located and arrested at Cottonwood on Monday April 6th.

RPD says based on the investigation this is what he's facing:

".. there is probable cause to charge Johnson with the following offenses under Washington State law:

 RCW 9.68A.050 – Dealing in depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct (1st and 2nd Degree)

 RCW 9.68A.070 – Possession of depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct (1st and 2nd Degree)"