The former School City of Hammond building and grounds director has now been formally charged with production, distribution, and possession of child pornography in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana.
A federal grand jury approved on Friday the three charges against David Michael Reyes, who has his initial hearing Aug. 28 at the Hammond courthouse after it was rescheduled. Reyes, 58, was employed as the director of buildings and grounds with SCH at the time of his arrest on August 15 and has been in custody since that date, the Post-Tribune previously reported.
“Today’s charges stem from the quick and coordinated efforts of local and federal law enforcement, with the full cooperation of the Hammond City School System,” Acting U.S. Attorney M. Scott Proctor said in a press release. “While an indictment is merely an allegation, it is imperative that we ensure we are addressing the full extent of criminal activity when allegations of crimes against children are involved. I am therefore calling upon members of our community who may have information concerning the charges in this Indictment, or similar allegations involving this Defendant, to provide that information to Homeland Security Investigations.”
Federal authorities are asking people who believe that they or someone they know may have been victimized by Reyes or otherwise have information about the charges against him to contact Homeland Security Investigations by phone at 1-877-4-HSI-TIP.
Court documents show Reyes had the usernames “davy_found” and “davy_found#0”, on Discord and “Gay Davy” on the Session app.
Reyes, of Hammond, was indicted 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, the Post-Tribune previously reported. Documents allege he used his work phone to upload child sexual assault material featuring young boys and receive sexually explicit videos and messages from an out-of-state 14-year-old boy.
The incidents happened between February and April.
Records show the school board terminated Reyes at its Tuesday meeting, with an effective date of Aug. 11. Ted Bryak has been selected as a temporary replacement.
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, the Post-Tribune previously reported. Investigators traced it to Reyes’ school district-issued 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 warrant, according to court documents, was for his residence, pickup truck and his cellphone, as well as multiple other electronics seized from his home, truck and office. In the truck, investigators found a briefcase reportedly containing a notebook with all of Reyes’s passwords and usernames.
After the search warrant, investigators found more than 900 videos and more than 400 images on Reyes’ cellphone. The “overwhelming majority” were child sexual assault material, filings state.
More Top Picks Best Visual Timers For Autism
Court records also allege that Reyes had a sexually explicit chat on an online app with an 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.
The Post-Tribune reached out several times in the week before publication to Hammond officials, who did not respond. School Board President Carlotta Blake-King previously declined comment, saying it was an ongoing investigation.
On Wednesday, she referred questions to Acting Superintendent Anthony Salinas.
After the Post-Tribune story was published on Aug. 18 and started circulating on social media, Salinas issued a statement to staff and parents. A staff member “engaged in inappropriate use of technology,” he wrote without naming Reyes. Salinas directed parents with questions to his office.
Parents had called and emailed his office, Salinas said during Tuesday’s meeting, adding they had “nothing to hide.”
“What parents want to know is, “Are our children safe?” former school board member Cindy Murphy said during a school board meeting Tuesday, which was posted online. “Have they been safe?”
“I recognize how painful this situation is that we’re all in right now,” Salinas said during the meeting, adding that the district “acted swiftly,” by removing Reyes from his job and cutting off all access to school district technology.” He couldn’t “speak to details of the investigation,” but acted after they found out so there was “no type of threat, or harm to staff and students.”
The Post-Tribune reached out Wednesday to Salinas and Human Resources Director Le Terra Smith, with questions, noting Reyes lived within walking distance of Hammond Central High School. They were not immediately available for comment.
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.