MACON, Ga. — A federal grand jury this week charged a former Washington County High School drama teacher with producing and distributing child pornography.
That's according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Georgia.
Michael Dendy, 32, of Milledgeville, was a Washington County High School teacher from August 2020 until he was arrested on Jan. 20.
He faces 21 counts in all.
Sheriff Joel Cochran says some of Dendy's victims were Washington County students.
According to his LinkedIn page, Dendy was the school's director of theatre.
Earlier, he taught at Starkville High School in Mississippi from 2014 to 2016, St. Charles High School in Waldorf, Maryland, from 2017 to 2018, and Griffin High School from 2018 to 2020.
The U.S. attorney said parents concerned about the case can contact the Homeland Security Investigation tip line at 866-347-2423.
According to the indictment, Dendy is accused of enticing minors to engage in sexually explicit acts to film and photograph them.
The indictment list 15 minors in the case, identified only by letters A-P. The alleged crimes began in August 2020 and date up to his arrest in January 2023.
He is charged with five counts of producing child pornography, seven counts of distributing, eight counts of receiving and one count of possessing child pornography.
If convicted, Dendy faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and up to a maximum sentence of thirty years in prison for each count of production of child pornography.
He faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and up to a maximum sentence of twenty years for each count of distribution and receipt of child pornography.
Lastly, Dendy faces a maximum sentence of ten years in prison for possessing child pornography.
Dendy could face up to 460 years in prison if convicted of all charges at the maximum sentence. At a minimum, he could face up to 150 years in prison.
The case was investigated by the Homeland Security Investigations and Washington County Sheriff's Office, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The police departments also helped the investigation in Leesburg, Virginia, Charles County Sheriff's Office in Maryland and the Middle Judicial Circuit and the District Attorney.