Former middle school teacher had thousands of videos of child porn, Missouri cops say

A former middle school teacher downloaded and possessed thousands of child porn videos, according to police in Missouri.

Now Scott Ellis has been charged with six counts of possession of child pornography, authorities said.

The St. Louis County Police Department said investigators received a tip from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children regarding Ellis’ Google account.

Investigators then found thousands of videos of child porn on Ellis’ Google and Mega cloud-based storage accounts, according to a probable cause statement. Police said the 36-year-old man, of St. Louis, is believed to have downloaded the videos between Oct. 4, 2021, and Oct. 4, 2022.

Some of the video files — showing children as young as infants — included the names of minor victims, police said.

The former teacher worked for Rogers Middle School between August 2019 and May 2022, according to Affton School District. He was not employed by the district this academic year.

In a statement sent to McClatchy News, a spokesperson said the district became aware of his “potential inappropriate conduct” earlier this month. District administrators began investigating and filed a report with Missouri’s Division of Children’s Services.

“We are deeply troubled by any report alleging that a former employee may have engaged in inappropriate behavior,” the district said. “Our schools are places where students should always feel safe, and we take any allegation of misconduct by a staff member, either current or former, very seriously. While state and federal confidentiality laws prohibit the district from sharing protected information about staff members or students, it is important for our families and community to know that we are committed to the safety and welfare of all Affton students, and will remain so going forward.”

Ellis was arrested on Oct. 4 and is being kept in custody on a $750,000 cash only, no 10% bond.

The district said staff are cooperating with the police investigation.

Affton School District is about 10 miles southwest of downtown St. Louis.

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