STARKVILLE — A former Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District teacher has been indicted in Georgia on 21 federal child pornography charges.
Michael Dendy, 32, was indicted Tuesday on five counts of production, seven counts of distribution, eight counts of receipt and one count of possession of child pornography. The indictment notes the charges involve 16 minors.
Dendy was arrested Jan. 20 by Washington County (Georgia) Sheriff’s Office and was denied bond. He is in custody at Washington County Jail.
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office from the Middle District of Georgia, Dendy was a teacher at Washington County High School in Sandersville, Georgia, from August 2020 until his arrest. He is still listed as Washington County High School’s drama department chair on the school’s website.
Dendy was a theater teacher at Starkville High School from 2014 to 2016 when he resigned, though he claimed he was unfairly forced to leave the district. In late 2016, SOCSD banned him from all campuses following visits to school facilities after his resignation that caused “disruptions.”
Dendy also taught at Griffin High School in Griffin, Georgia, from 2018 to 2020 and at St. Charles High School in Waldorf, Maryland, from 2017 to 2018, the release said.
The U.S. Department of Justice website says anyone convicted of producing child pornography can face between 15 years to 30 years in prison per count.
For each count of possession, distribution and receipt of child pornography, an offender can face 5 to 20 years per count.
Parents and guardians of children who may have encountered Dendy are encouraged to call the Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) tip line at (866) 347-2423, the press release said.
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