A Virginia teacher was charged in connection to the alleged possession of child porn after an investigation was launched recently, according to Fairfax County law enforcement.
“Kristine Knizner, 28, a teacher at Irving Middle School in Springfield, is accused of possessing child sexual abuse material on her Snapchat account,” WJLA reported Thursday.
When the investigation was opened Tuesday, officials learned someone with a Snapchat profile connected to an IP address within the county had the material in question.
The IP address returned to the young woman’s apartment home located on Meteor Place. She was eventually charged with two counts of possession of child porn and transported to a detention center but later released on a $2,000 unsecured bond.
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) described that form of pornography as child sexual exploitation, noting federal law prohibited the production, distribution, importation, reception, or possession of images of the material:
The expansion of the Internet and advanced digital technology lies parallel to the explosion of the child pornography market. Child pornography images are readily available through virtually every Internet technology, including social networking websites, file-sharing sites, photo-sharing sites, gaming devices, and even mobile apps. Child pornography offenders can also connect on Internet forums and networks to share their interests, desires, and experiences abusing children, in addition to selling, sharing, and trading images.
Before teaching at the middle school, the woman also worked at Key Middle School, located in Franconia.
“The victims do not appear to be related to Knizner’s employment,” the WJLA report said.
In a note to parents, school officials said they knew about the charges against Knizner and had placed her on leave, according to WTOP.
Fairfax County Police shared an image of the suspect on Thursday:
“I greatly appreciate the work of our Major Crimes, Cyber and Forensics detectives and analysts. These crimes have no place in our society and certainly not here in Fairfax County,” stated Major Ed O’Carroll, Bureau Chief, Major Crimes, Cyber and Forensics, in a Fairfax County Police Department News article.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.