An Austin elementary school teacher charged last week with possessing “a large quantity” of child sexual abuse material was arrested again for using artificial intelligence to generate sexually explicit images of his students.
Carl David Innmon, 50, taught fifth grade at Baranoff Elementary School in Austin Independent School District.
Innmon allegedly possessed more than 365,000 images of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), commonly called child pornography, with some depicting children being penetrated by adults.
Police said the teacher also used an artificial intelligence (AI) image generator to alter photos of students taken in his classroom, making them sexually explicit.
His collection included AI-generated images of two students from his elementary school.
Innmon was first arrested last week and charged with possessing more than 50 images or videos of child pornography—a first-degree felony.
He was released from jail on a $75,000 bond.
The teacher was arrested again on March 14 and charged with possession of child pornography with a previous conviction, a second-degree felony, and possession or promotion of lewd visual material depicting a child, a state jail felony.
He was released from jail again on a total bond of $30,000 for the two new charges.
Innmon is married with two children. Following his arrests, his wife filed for divorce.
State records show Innmon does not hold a Texas teaching certificate. A week after his first arrest, he is still not shown as “under investigation” on the Do Not Hire Registry of individuals ineligible to work in a public school.
Baranoff Elementary Principal Alex Hassett notified parents that authorities are still working to identify other students who may have been exploited by Innmon.
“I am deeply saddened to share that the latest charges stem from AI-generated materials he created using photos of students within his classroom. DPS and Austin ISD Police are working to identify and inform any families involved. Due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, we do not yet know the extent of students involved,” said Hassett.
The Texas Senate passed legislation this month to crack down on child predators using artificial intelligence to create “deep fake” images of child sex abuse.
The measures include Senate Bill 20, a priority of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, which sets criminal penalties specifically for AI-generated CSAM.
Austin ISD is currently closed for spring break, but families can still contact Austin ISD Police with questions or information about the case.
In just the past few years, hundreds of Texas teachers have been accused of sex crimes involving students and other children, including possessing, producing, and distributing child sexual abuse material.
Earlier this month, an Eanes ISD elementary school teacher was arrested on three counts of possessing more than 50 images of child pornography. Investigators found the Cedar Creek Elementary music teacher, Zachary Barnett, also took photos and videos of students at school without their knowledge or consent.
Also this month, a La Porte ISD elementary school teacher was charged with three first-degree felony counts of possessing child pornography. Authorities allege Bayshore Elementary PE teacher Kody Caleb Smith downloaded dozens of videos depicting young children being sexually assaulted.
