The School City of Hammond maintenance director used his work phone to upload child porn depicting young boys, according to federal court documents unsealed Monday.
David Reyes, 58, of Hammond, also received sexually explicit videos and messages from an out-of-state 14-year-old male, records allege.
He was indicted in the U.S. District Court in Hammond for production of a minor engaging in any sexually explicit conduct; distribution of child pornography; and possession or access with intent to view child pornography.
Reyes made a court appearance in an orange jail jumpsuit via Zoom before Magistrate John Martin on Monday. A federal indictment alleges the crimes happened between February to April.
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If convicted, he faces 15-30 years on production of child pornography, 5-20 years on distribution and either up to 10 years for child porn possession, or up to 20 years if children under 12 are depicted.
Earlier in the day, Reyes’ lawyer Brian Woodward declined comment, saying he was just assigned to the case.
According to court filings, Indiana State Police got a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that a Discord user uploaded three files showing boys, some of whom were engaging in sex acts.
Investigators traced it to Reyes’ school district cell phone.
Hammond Police at around 7 a.m. Aug. 11 joined Department of Homeland Security officers to execute a search warrant at a home in the 400 block of Highland Street, according to a copy of the call the Post-Tribune received. The house was in “very poor condition,” and officers called both Hammond Animal Control and Code Enforcement, the call reads.
Code Enforcement deemed the house “uninhabitable” and had NIPSCO come to turn off the gas and electricity, while Animal Control removed a dog but couldn’t find five cats, according to the call. The call also indicated the suspect is an employee with the School City of Hammond.
The warrant, according to court documents, was for his residence, pickup truck and his cellphone, as well as multiple other electronics, which were seized from his home, truck and office. In the truck, investigators found a briefcase reportedly containing a notebook with all of Reyes’ passwords and usernames.
After the search warrant, investigators found just over 900 videos and over 400 images on Reyes’ cellphone. The “overwhelming majority” was child pornography, filings state.
Court records also allege that Reyes had a sexually explicit chat on an online app with the underage boy, who said he was 14, and lived outside Indiana. The app is not listed, but the tagline – included in documents – appears to refer to the Session app.
Filings show on March 26, the boy sent Reyes a short video disrobing.
“I didn’t want you getting in trouble on Discord,” Reyes writes.
“I could be your husband,” the boy later wrote.
“Not at 14,” Reyes replied.
The Post-Tribune reached out last week to SCH Board of Trustees President Carlotta Blake-King about the call; she replied by text that “it’s an ongoing investigation, so at this point, no comment.” Neither she nor SCH spokeswoman Donna Petraits responded by press time Monday to confirm how long he’s been with SCH, whether he’s still employed, or if any Hammond students were involved.
During a hearing Monday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Nadia Wardrip said in court that he was employed as recently as “last week.”
A new hearing is scheduled at 2 p.m. Wednesday.
Reyes made $125,000 in 2023, the most recently available figure, according to Indiana Gateway, a public employee salary database.
Martin appointed Woodward as a public defender. During routine questioning on his financial status, Reyes said he lived “paycheck-to-paycheck.” Martin ruled that a home and retirement account did not give him enough spare cash to afford a private lawyer.
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.