A school bus driver for New Prague Area Schools has been charged with 10 felony counts of possessing child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) involving female children ages 4 to 11.
David Leigh Hadfield, 63, of Belle Plaine was charged in Scott County District Court on Friday and made his first court appearance the same day.
Charges say in April of this year, New Prague police received a tip that originated from Google through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on the potential possession of nearly 800 CSAM files allegedly connected to an account with email addresses and a phone number belonging to Hadfield.
Several videos and images were subsequently examined by an investigator and were graphically described in the complaint.
Following his arrest on May 6, Hadfield acknowledged the videos by stating, “I got on a website and saw pictures,” and “I never acted on anything.” Hadfield claimed to have only accessed this CSAM on his phone.
Hadfield remains in custody on $150,000 bail, and his next court appearance is scheduled for May 28.
In a letter reportedly sent to parents and families from New Prague Area Schools Superintendent Andy Vollmuth, he did not name Hadfield but acknowledged that the individual arrested had been employed by the district as a bus driver since January 2022. The letter went on to say that the employee had been placed on paid administrative leave and would not be allowed on district property or in facilities. Vollmuth stated in the letter that the school district is continuing to investigate the incident.
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Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
Crime Watch MN
Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
