A Kansas City-area high school teacher has been charged in federal court with distribution and possession of child pornography.
Seth Brummond, 37, of Greenwood, Missouri, was charged Thursday with “one count of distributing child pornography over the internet and one count of possessing child pornography from September 1 to December 18,” according to a news release by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri. He was to make his first appearance in federal court Friday afternoon.
Brummond is a Lee’s Summit West High School math teacher who’s taught in suburban KC’s Lee’s Summit R-7 School District since the 2018-19 school year, according to a spokesperson, who added there’s no evidence any students were impacted by any crimes.
“The Lee’s Summit R-7 School District is aware of a federal criminal complaint charging Mr. Brummond with charges related to child pornography,” the district’s press release reads. “These charges are serious, and we are being fully responsive to this situation. The district is cooperating with the federal investigation and has placed Mr. Brummond on administrative leave according to district policy.
“We have been informed that there is no current evidence linking LSR7 students to the allegations at this time. However, we encourage any parent or guardian to contact our administration, local police department, or anonymous Safe Schools tip line anytime they believe they have relevant information impacting student safety.
“Our focus right now is supporting the well-being of students who may be distressed by this news with counseling and community resources, in addition to making plans to ensure that learning is not disrupted when students return from winter break.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office release says “Lee’s Summit police officers received a Cyber Tip on Sept. 8, 2024, that a user (later identified as Brummond) had uploaded 12 videos of child pornography via the Kik Messenger application.
“On Thursday, Dec. 19, Lee’s Summit law enforcement officers placed Brummond’s residence under surveillance for the purpose of serving federal search warrants. Officers followed Brummond when he left his house and at about 6 a.m. officers conducted a traffic stop and placed Brummond under arrest. Officers seized his iPhone as well as a computer tower that was in the trunk of his car.”
The release says the case is a result of Project Safe Childhood, “a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.”
The project “marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.”
No other details about the case have been made available. The U.S. Attorney’s Office stresses the charges “are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt.”
