Former Garland teacher’s seized laptop had thousands of child porn images

A former Garland special needs teacher, whose seized laptop had thousands of pornographic pictures and videos of toddlers and older children, pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of transportation of child pornography.

Kirk Patrick Keshler, 60, of Garland pleaded guilty to the charge before U.S. Magistrate Judge David L. Horan.

Federal prosecutors and Keshler reached a plea agreement, according to a press release from U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox. Keshler faces a five to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and a lifetime of supervised release. He remains in custody pending a hearing set for April 4.

Keshler used the internet and peer-to-peer file sharing to send and receive thousands of images of minors engages in sexually explicit conduct. A forensic review of the teacher’s laptop revealed more than 10,000 pictures and 3,000 videos involving children pubescent female and male teens, tweens and children as young as toddlers.

Some of the child pornography files depicted “sadistic and masochistic content and bestiality,” the press release states. When authorities searched Keshler’s home in August, they found a “nude, realistic-looking” child-size doll in the master bedroom.

The master bedroom also had a large television connected to a laptop that was open and displaying child pornography when authorities arrived.

This story was originally published December 19, 2017 at 9:47 PM with the headline "Former Garland teacher’s seized laptop had thousands of child porn images."