KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A teacher in the Independence School District has been charged with 11 counts of child pornography stored on his district-issued laptop.
Austin Meyer, born in 1993, was arrested earlier this week following the investigation.
Court documents reveal that the Independence School District's Information Technology Department received a notification of malware on a district-issued laptop. As the IT department researched further, they allegedly discovered 11 gigabytes of child pornography on the laptop belonging to Meyer.
Following the discovery, the district notified police on Wednesday, March 19. Police arrested Meyer and recovered his laptop from the school theater.
Court documents indicate that Meyer requested a lawyer when questioned by detectives.
Online court records revealed that two attorneys have filed notice they are representing Meyer. One of the attorneys filed a motion Thursday afternoon that Meyer either be released on his own recognizance or have his bond, which was initially set at $100,000, reduced. If the judge agrees, Jackson County Detention Center Population Control would be ordered to screen Meyer in order to place him on county house arrest.
Meyer would be prohibited from being within 1,000 feet of any school "below undergraduate level."
Jackson County Detention Center records showed an inmate identified as Austin J. Meyer, born in 1993, in custody as of March 20, 2025.
A spokesperson for the Independence School District refused to provide information about which school Meyer worked at.
A Jackson County Prosecuting Attorney's Office spokesperson refused to provide information about which school Meyer worked at.
A request for additional information contained on an Independence police report was not immediately returned.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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