A former Washington County High School teacher admitted possessing and distributing photos of students in sexually explicit acts in front of a federal judge in Macon on Tuesday.
Michael Dendy, 33, of Milledgeville, was charged with 21 counts of child pornography on July 11, 2023, which includes production, distribution and possession of child pornography. He pleaded guilty to producing and distributing child pornography as part of a deal with prosecutors. Two of the victims and their families were present in court as Dendy pleaded guilty before Judge Marc Treadwell.
For producing child pornography, he faces 15 to 20 years in prison. For distributing child pornography, he faces five to 30 years in prison. For pleading guilty to both charges, he will pay a fine of up to $250,000. The U.S. Attorney’s Office also said he faces a maximum sentence of lifetime supervised release and will also have to register as a sex offender.
“Michael Allen Dendy’s guilty plea marks a significant step toward justice for the heinous crimes committed,” said Washington County Sheriff Joel Cochran. “We are steadfast in our commitment to protecting our children and ensuring that those who prey on them are held accountable.”
Former teacher pretended to be a minor and shared explicit videos of students
According to prosecutors, Dendy had two Instagram accounts – one account posing as a girl and the other as a boy – to persuade students at Washington County High School to engage in sexual conduct, film it and share it with Dendy. He then shared the images on a Discord server.
He also uploaded a video on his Discord server of a minor, ages 14 and 15, engaging in sexually explicit conduct, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
He taught at Washington County High School from 2020 to 2023, following his arrest by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. After a search warrant was executed at Dendy’s residence, deputies from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office found about 80,000 documents of hard drives, a laptop and a cell phone that displayed sexually explicit images of 17 minors. He had been collecting these images for about five years, according to prosecutors.
“It is a nightmare for parents to imagine a trusted teacher catfishing students and then posting sexually explicit images of those children on social media,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “Thanks to good police work, a child predator is off the streets and will be held accountable for the suffering and pain he caused. Furthermore, this case is an important reminder that online predators are a real threat and parents must exercise vigilance.”
He previously taught at Starkville High School in Starkville, Mississippi, from 2014 to 2016, St. Charles High School in Waldorf, Maryland, from 2017 to 2018, and Griffin High School in Georgia from 2018 to 2020. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is asking parents and guardians of children who may have encountered Dendy and have concerns related to the investigation to contact the Homeland Security Investigations tip line at 1-866-347-2423.
At the request of his lawyer, public defender Catherine Williams, Dendy will be sentenced on November 7th.
