A former Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District teacher will spend more than 33 years in prison, after pleading guilty in Georgia on federal child pornography charges and admitting to a catfishing scheme targeting minors that began when he was still living in Starkville.
Michael Dendy, 33, was sentenced Thursday before U.S. District Judge Marc Treadwell. Dendy plead guilty to one count of production of child pornography and one count of distribution of child pornography on July 30.
Dendy was sentenced to 400 months (33 years, 4 months) in federal prison, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release. In addition, Dendy will have to register as a child sex offender upon his release from federal prison, according to a Friday press release from the United States Attorney’s Office of the Middle District of Georgia.
“We are committed to holding people like Michael Allen Dendy accountable to the fullest extent of the law for monstrously preying on adolescents, in this case tricking minors to send him explicit images and uploading them online for other predators to view,” U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary said in the release. “I am thankful for our law enforcement partners who are dedicated to protecting the innocent and bringing child predators to justice.”
Dendy was a teacher at Washington County High School in Sandersville, Georgia, from August 2020 until he was arrested Jan. 20, 2023 by deputies with the Washington County (Georgia) Sheriff’s Office.
“Michael Allen Dendy will no longer be able to prey on children and he will be an old man when he is released from prison,” Washington County Sheriff Joel Cochran said in the release. “We are resolute in our commitment to safeguarding our children and ensuring that those who prey on them are held accountable.”
Dendy also taught at three schools previously, including Griffin High School in Griffin, Georgia, from 2018 to 2020, St. Charles High School in Waldorf, Maryland, from 2017 to 2018 and Starkville High School from 2014 to 2016, the release said.
Dendy was a theater teacher at Starkville High School when he resigned in 2016, though he claimed he was unfairly forced to leave the district. In late 2016, SOCSD banned him from all campuses following “disruptive” visits to school facilities after his resignation.
According to the press release, Washington County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia received complaints regarding child pornography being posted on the instant messaging and social media platform Discord in 2022 under “WACO Confessions,” including images of local high school students. Deputies tracked “WACO Confessions” back to Dendy, who was operating under the username “The One You Left Behind.”
The account was most frequently accessed through an IP address that was tracked to Dendy’s residence.
A search warrant executed at Dendy’s residence led to law enforcement recovering electronic devices containing child sexual abuse material and chat conversations between Dendy and several identified victims. Specifically, between Jan. 1, 2023 and Jan. 31, 2023, Dendy allegedly persuaded a 16-year-old to engage in sexually explicit conduct, film it, and share it through social media. Also, on Dec. 11, 2022, Dendy allegedly uploaded a video to “WACO Confessions” depicting a minor between the ages of 14 and 15 engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
Dendy admitted to obtaining nude images of individuals, particularly underage students at Washington County High School, using fake Instagram accounts. Dendy admitted to posing as a young male and a young female on the accounts, though he claimed he never met with any students in person. He also said he began his catfishing scheme in 2016, when he lived in Mississippi, which continued while he was residing in Maryland and Georgia, the release said.
“Educators are entrusted with the responsibility to protect and guide our youth, and the actions of this former teacher represent a severe betrayal of that trust. By creating false identities to deceive minors and exploit them in such a harmful way, Dendy caused profound damage to those he was meant to safeguard,” Acting Special Agent in Charge Steven N. Schrank who oversees investigations across Georgia and Alabama, said in the release. “(Homeland Security Investigations) is dedicated to ensuring justice for the victims and will tirelessly pursue those who prey upon vulnerable members of our community.”
While Dendy was initially indicted on 21 charges related to child pornography, the other charges were dropped when he pleaded guilty on the two counts, United States Attorney’s Office Middle District of Georgia Public Affairs Officer Melissa Hodges said in an email to The Dispatch.
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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