A DeKalb County Schools employee has been arrested in Chattooga County, Georgia, on on child sexual abuse material charges.
Michael Lane Brown, age 36 of Cloudland, Georgia, was taken into custody on Tuesday as a result of an ongoing joint investigation conducted by Chattooga County Sheriff’s Department Investigator Daniel Sanford and the United States Department of Homeland Security.
According to investigators, Brown is accused of producing, uploading, and sending child pornography online, as well as allegedly using a hidden video recorder to obtain images of individuals without their consent.
Brown has been charged with a list of charges including six felony counts of sexual exploitation of children, 6 felony counts of computer or electronic pornography and child exploitation, 11 felony counts of the unlawful eavesdropping or surveillance, 2 felony counts of the possession of eavesdropping device, 10 felony counts of the surreptitious recording of intimate parts, and 5 felony counts of the transmission of photography or video depicting nudity or sexually explicit conduct of an adult.
He is currently being held at the Chattooga County Jail.
Brown has reportedly worked for the school district since November of 2022 as a Computer Technician and was employed as a volleyball coach at Valley Head High School. School officials say he has been relieved of all duties pending the outcome of the investigation.
In response to Brown’s arrest, DeKalb County Schools released the following statement:
DeKalb County Schools has been made aware of the arrest of a school system employee as a result of an ongoing investigation conducted by the Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office and the United States Department of Homeland Security. The individual was taken into custody on charges relating to the manufacturing and distribution of child pornography, as well as video recording individuals without their consent.
At this time, we can confirm that the charges are not connected to our students, and did not occur on our campuses, however, due to the serious nature of the allegations, DeKalb County Schools in conjunction with the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office has launched an investigation to ensure that the privacy, safety, and well-being of our students have not been compromised in any way.
This individual has been removed from all duties pending the outcome of the investigation.
The safety of our students is our top priority. We are working in full cooperation with law enforcement and will take all necessary steps to protect our students and staff. Any violation of trust or abuse of position will be met with immediate and appropriate action.
We ask for the public’s patience as this investigation continues and assure our community that we are committed to transparency, accountability, and the highest standards of student protection.
