The movie Spotlight is being lauded and rightly so. Of all the complex issues related to conspiracies of child sex abuse, Spotlight highlights one of the most important; pedophiles target vulnerable children.

The Catholic priests in Boston, as the film depicts, went after poor children, children who had just lost their fathers, children struggling with identity issues, children who were vulnerable in all the ways that humans can be vulnerable. This is standard operating procedure for pedophiles. It goes far beyond the Catholic Church.

Child rapists are always on the hunt for vulnerable children. Preverbal children like newborns, infants and toddlers, foster children trapped in a broken system, sick children in cancer-wards, minority children, single-parent children in after-school programs and special needs children — the children least able to protect themselves are the highest risk for rape.

Pedophiles wait, watch and prey on the most vulnerable. Always.

For example, pedophiles love to rape special needs children. Why? Because special needs children make terrible witnesses. A Down’s Syndrome child is unlikely to be a witness prosecutors will consider “credible.” No credible witness, no crime. No crime, no prosecution.

When I started researching child pornography arrests I was horrified to see report after report of special education teachers and care-providers arrested for trading in child rape and torture aka child pornography. Some of these cases are profiled here. As with all my research the following examples are not at all comprehensive. Because the Department of Justice is not keeping statistics on child pornography arrests, no one knows how many special education teachers and care-givers have been caught trading in child rape. By the numbers, it appears to be many.

Arrests of Special Education Teachers & Care Providers

Matthew David Kuppe, 21 year old camp counselor at a Jewish Community Center in West Bloomfield, Michigan and student at Michigan State University, was arrested, 12 August 2015, on child pornography possession, production and distribution charges. He was sentenced, 11 April 2017, to ten years in prison. Kuppe worked with special needs children.

He posted images of five year old boys, under his care during an overnight camp stay, on a Russian website “frequented by individuals with a sexual interest in children.” In at least one case, he named the child along with the photo and used a folder called “Jewish boys.”

He also filmed “prepubescent boys in the JCC locker room” and shared these images using the name “jcclockerroom” and an email jcclockerroom@gmail.com. Kuppe told an undercover investigator “I only get to touch him a few times” and said he had “bounced the naked boy on his lap.” He also said he “planned to give the young boy oral sex.”

Matthew Kuppe’s Criminal Complaint citing Kuppe’s responses to an undercover investigator.

Kuppe traded his JCC photos with pedophiles for images of other children. Investigators found at least 60 images of children, including toddlers, on Kuppe’s iPod. He told the undercover agent “I have more pics, but you need to send some first … What would you do to these little boys (be graphic).”

Matthew Kuppe’s Criminal Complaint citing Kuppe’s responses to an undercover investigator.

Several JCC staff had raised concerns about Kuppe’s “inappropriate behavior” prior to his arrest but these were ignored. The JCC, since, launched an internal investigation and fired three employees who failed to act on reports about Kuppe’s behavior.

Although originally held without bond, a federal judge allowed Kuppe free on bond, November 2015, pending sentencing. Kuppe’s trial is currently scheduled for 4 April 2016.

Peter Flynn, a 61 year old special education teacher at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School in Maryland, was arrested, 30 September 2014, for possessing and distributing child pornography. He pled guilty, 29 June 2015, and was sentenced, 9 November 2015, to nearly 4 years in prison with fifteen years of supervised release. Flynn possessed some 30,000 child rape images/videos including bondage and violence against prepubescent children. He had worked at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School since 1978.

James McGlothlin, a 39 year old adaptive physical education instructional assistant for disabled children with the Oregon City School District in Portland, Oregon, was arrested, 19 February 2016, and charged with one count of producing child pornography.

He was trading images of child rape including infants. McGlothlin had raped a disable child in his care during swimming lessons and he had made plans, in writing, to baby-sit children with the intention of drugging and raping the children. Investigators found photos of children who were McGlothin’s relatives or children of friends, dozen pairs of children’s underwear and “sexually explicit videos of a baby girl and a man believed to be McGlothin.” McGlothin also admitted he molested a friend’s two year old daughter when he was baby-sitting the child. McGlothin is married and lives with his wife and their 2 year old son.

Bruce Omlor, a 49 year old special education teacher with Riverside Elementary School in Toledo, Ohio, was indicted, December 2012, on one count each of child pornography receipt, distribution, and possession.

In a plea agreement two charges were dismissed and Omlor was sentenced, 9 September 2013, to more than six years in jail. At the time of his arrest, Omlor had more than 17,000 images of child sex abuse. He was suspended without pay, upon his arrest. His Ohio teaching license has been revoked. Omlor is a retired US Marine.

Jay Michaud, a 62 year old special education teacher, at Gaiser Middle School in Vancouver, Washington, was arrested, 13 July 2015, on child pornography charges.

Jay Michaud’s Criminal Complaint. His on-line name was Pewter.

Michaud had been using a site called Playpen and trading in video/images of “child rape and some images that showed infants being raped.”

Jay Michaud’s Criminal Complaint describing images he was trading.

At his indictment hearing, 22 January 2016, Michaud entered a not guilty plea. On 22 January 2016, Judge Bryan rejected Michaud’s motion to dismiss.

On 28 January 2016, Judge Bryan rejected Michaud’s motion to suppress evidence. Michaud’s trial is currently scheduled for 19 September 2016. He worked for the Vancouver School District for more than 20 years.

Murray Duncan, a 45 year old special education teacher and boys basketball coach at Mt. Hermon Junior High in New Orleans, Louisiana, was arrested, 16 April 2014, on child pornography and aggravated incest charges. He was re-arrested several times, in May and June 2014, on more child sex abuse and child pornography charges totaling 127 counts in Washington Parish and East Batton Rouge Paris.

Duncan volunteered in activities that provided him access to children, molesting at least 7 children, ages 5 to 15 years old, on an overnight church trip to the zoo, at church camp and in his classroom. One neighbor said, “He was always well known as an outstanding guy in our neighborhood.” Duncan has been free on $250,00 bond pending sentencing. His next court date in Washington Parish is scheduled for 29 March 2016.

Alvin Ray McClellan, a 44 year old special education teacher’s assistant at Mohave Middle School in Arizona, was arrested, 5 March 2014, on 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.

Investigators said McClellan was trading in hundreds of images/videos - some of the “worst abuse they’ve ever seen” including of infants.

He pled not guilty on 3 April 2014. McClellan is free on bail with his next court date scheduled for 25 February 2016.

William Foreman, a 70 year old retired special education teacher in Dayton, Ohio Public School system, was arrested, February 2015, on child pornography charges. His teaching certificate was for orthopedic handicapped children.

Foreman had posted more than 70 child rape fantasies in on-line forums and had subscriptions for child porn websites, internet chats about distributing child pornography, stories about incest and documents stating the legal age of consent such be lowered to 8 years old.

After retiring from 35 years in the public school system he worked with special needs children in their homes and at hospitals and operated a pottery studio “where groups like the Girl Scouts and home-schooled students can make pinch-pots and tiles.” His sentencing hearing is scheduled for 26 February 2016.

David James Fisher, a 51 year old former special education teacher in Farmville, Virginia and football and baseball coach in Amelia County, Virginia, was arrested, October 2015, on child pornography charges. He was released on bond and his first court hearing is currently scheduled for February 2016.

Jorge Christian Cervantes, a 31 year old instructional aide for “severely disabled students” at Lincoln Elementary School in Salinas, California, was arrested, 12 May 2011, on child pornography and domestic violence charges.

He assaulted his wife, knocking her to the ground, when she found child sex abuse images on his cell phone.

Cervantes had photographed his female students and said he “lusted” for them, fantasized about them and used methamphetamine to “heighten his pleasure” while looking at the images. Cervantes was sentenced to 14 months in jail and no contact with his wife or young daughter during his three-year probation after jail.

On 15 December 2014, only months after his probation ended on 26 August 2014, Cervantes posed as a Walmart employee and attempted to kidnap a 10 year old girl. He assaulted and molested her, apparently in the bathroom, before the girl was able to get away. He was attempting to take her out of the store. He was charged with kidnapping, child molestation, and false imprisonment. His bail was set at $1 million and he remained in custody pending sentencing. His case was dismissed on 11 March 2015 due to his death while in custody.

Kelly Dan Williams, a 62 year old special needs instructor at Mary Orr Intermediate School in Dallas-Forth Worth, Texas, was arrested, 1 June 2015, and charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child and child pornography production. Williams was caught sexually assaulting an 11 year old boy in the school bathroom. Authorities arrested Williams and searched his home where they found child sex abuse images/videos. He pled guilty to both counts on 26 January 2016. His sentencing hearing is set for 24 May 2016.

John David Yoder, 43 year old special education teacher’s assistant at Desert Hot Springs High School in Riverside, California, was arrested, 30 January 2015, on multiple child sex abuse charges. As of 1 February 2016, a trial is underway and sentencing is pending.

Yoder is part of a “significant ring of human traffickers and child pornographers” that targeted young boys. Prosecutors say Yoder “provided a ‘safe haven’ for pedophiles.”

A registered foster parent, with two adopted sons, Yoder used his sons as bait to lure other children including at least one special needs child.

Yoder posted more than 10,000 times on a “boy lover” website of which he was a member. He is being held in lieu of $1 million bail. From jail Yoder attempted to have a witness murdered for $8,000. Prior to his arrest, Child Protective Services (CPS) had received a tip that Yoder was raping children and had child pornography . CPS took no action. Yoder had previously worked as a special education assistant in Fairfax County, Virginia from 2005 to 2007.

Patrik Ian Arsenault, a 28 year old special education elementary school teacher at the Wayne Regional Autism Program in Readfield, Maine was arrested, 21 August 2013, on child pornography charges. He had been hired for a new position working with autistic children but was arrested before his start date.

Arsenault was producing child pornography of himself raping boys as young as six years old, including children with developmental disabilities and children in his care at Woodfords Family Services in Westbrook.

Upon his arrest investigators found more than 7,500 images and more than 250 videos of child sex abuse.

Arsenault pled guilty to transportation, receipt and possession of child pornography and three counts of child pornography production and was sentenced in federal court, 23 January 2015, to 65 years in prison. The state also pressed charges and sentenced Arsenault, 29 January 2015, to 50 years to be served concurrent with the federal sentencing.

Kenneth Hamilton, a 58 year old special education teacher at Phoenixville Middle School in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, was arrested, 1 December 2013, on 13 counts of child pornography possession and distribution charges. Hamilton’s teaching certificate, including for Mentally and/or Physically Handicapped K-12 students, was revoked on 14 October 2015. State charges were dropped when the federal prosecutors took over the case. Hamilton was sentenced, 19 December 2014, to ten years in jail followed by ten years of supervised release. He had been a teacher for 11 years at Phoenixville Middle School. In, apparently, a separate case the school’s former principal, Troy Czukosi, was also sentenced for possessing hundreds of child sex abuse images/videos.

Richard Pitcock, a 51 year old school psychologist for special needs children K-12 from Ashland City, Tennessee, was arrested, 4 August 2015, in Florida on 25 counts of possession of child porn and one count of using a computer to compile child pornography.

He had worked for the Cheatham County School District since 1998 evaluating special-needs students. Pitcock was suspended without pay and held in custody in Florida on a $130,000 bond. He was sentenced, 15 December 2015, to nearly eight years in jail and 15 years of supervised release. Pitcock profile said his client focus was “toddlers/preschoolers and teens faced with learning disabilities.”

Steven Orloff, a 47 year old director of the special needs program at Stoneham public schools in Stoneham, Massachusetts and also a public school liaison for the Germaine Lawrence facility, a home for sexually exploited and intellectually disabled girls, was arrested, 12 December 2012, on child pornography production and possession charges.

The Germaine Lawrence facility houses girls who have been commercially sexually exploited, have intellectual disabilities, eating disorders and substance abuse issues. The Department of Children and Families failed to inform Germaine Lawrence officials about Orloff’s arrest.

Ofloff posed on-line as a 14 year old boy and tricked hundred of girls into producing child pornography for him. He was also a foster parent who sexually abused his foster daughter and hid camera in his bathroom to film her naked. Orloff was charged with state crimes and also held without bail on federal charges. In December 2014, Orloff, apparently, committed suicide, while in custody, prior to his sentencing.

Timothy Cheatwood, a 44 year old, foster care worker who cared for Christian special needs children in Health and Human Services custody, was arrested, 2 September 2015, on two counts of aggravated possession of child pornography, manufacturing child pornography, distributing child pornography and violating the Oklahoma Computer Crimes Act.

At least one local child victim was identified. One of the files in Cheatwood’s possession was titled files was entitled “7yo Blond Boy Play With Dady (with sound)”.

Cheatwood worked for the Bair Foundation, an organization contracted by Health and Human Services. He is out on $45,000 bond. An arraignment is scheduled for 8 February 2016.

Benjamin Schwartz, a 32 year old teacher’s aide for special needs students at Brookline High School in Massachusetts, was arrested, 15 November 2012, for child pornography possession and dissemination of obscene matter.

Schwartz had been trading in children, as young as six years old, being raped by adult males.

Schwartz pled guilty to two counts of possession and was sentenced, 21 August 2014, to five years probation and no jail time.

He had worked in the Brookline school system since 2002.

Barry Klein, a 58 year old special education teacher at Bancroft Middle School in Hollywood, California, was arrested, 9 July 2010, on suspicion of possession of child pornography charges. He had given his laptop to the school’s IT department for repair. Staff found concerning material on his computer and contact law enforcement.

Upon his arrest, Klein was immediately removed from school grounds and suspended without pay. He had been a teacher at the school since 2001.

Klein pled no contest, 25 October 2010, to one felony child pornography possession charge and was sentenced to three years probation and ordered to register as a sex offender for life.

Chadwick Hamby, a 42 year old special education teacher and principal at Mountain Community School in North Carolina, was arrested, 23 February 2012, and pled guilty to one count of receiving child pornography.

Hamby was arrested along with another special education teacher, Deborah Tipton, who sent Hamby “pornographic images” of a 11 year old former student of Hamby’s to “excite him.” Tipton was also arrested 23 February 2012.

Hamby was sentenced, 18 September 2013, to more than 4 years in prison, to be followed by lifetime of supervised release and ordered to register as a sex offender for 15 years. Tipton was sentenced to 18 years in prison with lifetime supervised release and must register as a sex offender for 25 years.

The couple used on-line chats focused on bestiality, violent rape and child pornography.

Adolfo Payan Chavez, a 39 year old special education assistant at Whittier Elementary School in San Diego, California, was arrested, 18 September 2011, on child pornography charges. He pled guilty, 17 November 2011, to one count of transporting images of minors engaged in sexually explicit acts. On 6 August 2012, Chavez was sentenced to six and half years in jail with ten years of supervised release. He had worked for the school district for over 18 years.

Christopher Toler, a 47 year old special education teacher at North Shore Educational Consortium in Beverly, Massachusetts, was arrested on child pornography charges. He pled guilty, 12 June 2013, and was sentenced to 90 days of a 21/2 year suspended jail term and three years probation. He must register as a sex offender. Toler was trading child rape on a website called Liberal Morality.

David Carl Heinsen, a 69 year old resident of Nashville, Michigan, care-giver for a special needs child, was arrested on child pornography charges and arraigned, 21 September 2015, on four counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a victim under the age of 13 and possession of child sexually abusive material in addition to previous charges of possession of child sexually abusive material and using a computer to commit a crime in that county. At the time of his arrest he had over 650,000 images and 3,000 videos, including of toddlers, showing children being “sexually abused and tortured.” Heinsen raped, tortured and filmed an eight year old girl with Down syndrome under his care. He was sentenced, 16 February 2016, in state court to 40–60 years in jail. Federal sentencing is pending.

David Harrell, a 48 year special needs teacher from Chaska, Minnesota, was arrested, 16 May 2014, on suspicion of interfering with the privacy of a minor. On 22 September 2015, Harrell pled guilty to fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct, interfering with a child’s privacy and possessing child pornography.

Harrell worked with deaf and hard of hearing students, for the past ten years, at St. Francis and Spring Lake Park schools. At the time of his arrest he had thousands of child sex abuse images, including of his students, on his work computer. He was caught when a colleague reported that he had two female students sitting on his lap. Harrell was placed on leave and school technology staff investigated his computer locating child sex abuse images. He was sentenced, December 2015, to 60 days in jail of a suspended 305 jail sentence and five years probation. He must register as a sex offender.

Angelique Nicole Mendell, a 29 year old mother and care-giver for her ten year old Down Syndrome son, was arrested, 6 February 2015, on multiple child sex abuse charges.

She was caught when investigators, assuming the on-line identity of a “known child pornography distributor,” chatted with a pedophile in Oklahoma who said he had a “BD [Beast Dating] girl with [a] 2 [year old] and 10 [year old] boy and now she wants me to fuck her 14 [year old] girl.” The pedophile said “[the 2 year old] is the one fucking her [with] the dildo and she is sucking a dog cock in front of him on Kik … She’s in OKC … Remember the Kik videos? That’s her.” Mendell told investigators she sexually abused her children and makes her Down Syndrome son perform oral sex on her. She also sexually abused her Chihuahua and was “training her Rottweiler.” Mendell was investigated, in 2002, for similar crimes but never prosecuted. She has been in custody in lieu of $250,000 cash bail. Her jury trial is scheduled for 18 April 2016.

Eric Bean, 32 year old information technology (IT) staff at the Judge Rotenberg Education Center, special needs school in Canton, Massachusetts, was arrested, 22 August 2014, on possession and transfer of child pornography. The school was previously embroiled in controversy for using electric shock therapy on disabled students. Bean entered a no contest plea on 29 July 2015 and was sentenced to five years in jail, with all but 90 days suspended, and five years probation. He must register as a sex offender.

Gary Kliebert, a 62 year old retired special education teacher of Washington Township in Michigan who was actively substitute teaching, was arrested, 17 March 2011, on child pornography charges. Kliebert’s wife is a principal of Rodgers Elementary School where Kliebert was a substitute teacher.

He pled guilty to one count of receiving child pornography and was sentenced, 9 March 2012, to 20 years in prison. At the time of his arrest he had 872,138 videos/images of child sex abuse.

Kliebert also sexually abused several child relatives. He told investigators that he traded in child rape on the internet for 2–3 hours a day for at least the past seven years. Kliebert had been a teacher in Utica Community Schools for 32 years. Lake Shore High School’s student newspaper, The Shoreline, was prevented from reporting on the case by school administrators.

Gregg Alan Larsen, a 49 year old special education teacher in the St. Paul Public School District in Minnesota, was arrested, 20 May 2010, on child pornography charges.

He had been sexually abusing children in his care and producing child pornography of that abuse. Larsen was sentenced, 23 November 2010, to 25 years in prison for producing and possessing child pornography. Larsen was also a foster parent and he filmed children under his care. At the time of his arrest Larsen had more than 100,000 images/videos of child rape.

Jason Wichlinski, a 42 year old special education teacher at Boulder High School in Boulder, Colorado was arrested, April 2013, and charged with one count of sexual exploitation of a child.

Wichlinski was caught when woman who lived with him discovered child pornography on his cell phone and computer and contacted law enforcement.

At the time of his arrest he possessed hundreds of images of children as young as two years old being sexually abused and many videos of “8- or 10-year old girls having sex with men” and images/videos of “teen abuse/agony or teen choking.” He was sentenced, 19 September 2013, and is currently a registered sex offender.

John Allen Wright, a 45 year old bus driver for special needs students for The Provider bus services in New Hampshire, was arrested, 1 September 2011, on child sex abuse and child pornography charges. He pled guilty to five counts of sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of child pornography and was sentenced, February 2013, to 160 years in prison.

At the time of his arrest Wright had over 10,000 images/videos of child sex abuse. He sexually abused at least three autistic boys, ages 4 to 8 years old, in his care and filmed himself sexually abusing children on his school bus. Wright had been a bus driver with the Milton School District, an assistant teacher at Rochester Child Care Center and Quirion Preschool and Learning Center in Rochester, New Hampshire. The Provider bus services transports 1,200 special needs children to day cares and schools in New Hampshire.

Keith Miller, a 44 year old special education teacher at Miller’s Run Elementary School in Sheffield, Vermont, was arrested, 20 February 2013, on child pornography charges. He was sentenced, 5 May 2014, to just under two years in prison and five years of supervised release and must register as a sex offender. Miller told investigators he is sexually attracted to girls younger than ten years old.

Mark Allen Cline, a 45 year old special education teacher at Will C. Wood Middle School in Sacramento, California, was arrested, 22 December 2010, on child pornography charges. He pled guilty to one count of receiving child pornography was sentenced, 12 February 2015, to nearly six years in prison followed by 15 years of supervised release. He must register as a sex offender.

At the time of his arrest Cline had over 1,000 images/videos of child rape including the rape of a baby. Cline had told his girlfriend that he fantasized about anally raping his special needs students and raping a two year child.

Michael Scott Cooper, a 42 year old special education teacher at Bakersfield Elementary School in Bakersville, California, was arrested, 7 October 2010, on child pornography charges. He was sentenced, 30 July 2012, to slightly more than three years in jail followed by 15 years of supervised release. Cooper was caught when his wife contacted law enforcement after discovering images of his students on his computer. Investigators found hundreds of images of child sex abuse on Cooper’s electronics. He had also been a special education school teacher at Loudon Elementary School.

Robert Fenn, a 27 year old special education teacher at Poplar Tree Elementary in Chantilly, Virgina, was arrested, 12 June 2012, on child pornography charges. He was sentenced, 21 June 2013, to ten years in jail and 20 years of supervised release.

Fenn was caught when Italian police investigated computer files involved with the website liberalmorality.com. Fenn trading on this site.

He told investigators he was sexually attracted to girls between the ages of 9 and 14. Fenn taught special needs children from kindergarten to third grade and also gave private music lessons in children’s homes. More than 500 child sex abuse images were found, by investigators, on Fenn’s electronics.

Balazs Tarnai, a 36 year old assistant professor of special education professor at Seton Hall University, was arrested, 4 November 2011, on child pornography charges. Tarnai produced videos and images of the sexual abuse of at least four young boys.

He pled guilty to production of sexually explicit material and was sentenced, 23 January 2013, to 15 years in prison and lifetime parole.

Tarnai’s research “focused on social-behavioral aspects of socio-sexual education for students with cognitive disabilities.” He also taught a children’s Bible study class. He was caught when he ordered sex abuse videos from a company that undercover law enforcement had taken over.

Liam Mallon, a 44 year old bus driver for Worcester, Massachusetts Public School children with special needs, was arrested, July 2015, on two child pornography possession charges. Mallon had been appointed as an Aide to the Physically Handicapped on 20 June 2012. School Superintendent Dr. Melinda Boone sent a letter to school administrators saying “at this time, the matter has not reached the media and we hope that it does not.” Mallon’s next court date, a status conference, is schedule for 3 March 2016.

What can be done?

Pedophiles seek out professions that place them in positions of authority and trust over vulnerable children. Judging by the cases profiled here, pedophilia may be epidemic in the special education profession.

Educational institutions must take pro-action measures. Installing NetClean software, working with the Child Rescue Coalition and asking teachers to sign Codes of Conduct allowing for random searches of their computer networks and electronics would all help protect children.

Parents of special needs children should demand that educational institutions and care-providers working with special needs children require all employees to sign Codes of Conduct that include voluntary, random searches by Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Forces of electronics, including cellphones and IP networks, both work and personal.

Special needs children are easy and ideal prey for pedophiles. It is time parents, educational institutions and care-providers started taking pro-active measure to protect these most vulnerable children.

Dr. Lori Handrahan runs the start-up organization Data4Justice.org and is working on her forthcoming book, Child Porn Nation: America’s Hidden National Security Risk. Her Ph.D. is from The London School of Economics. She can be reached on Twitter @LoriHandrahan2