A now-former middle school band teacher is back in jail after he was caught in a citizen-led sting operation admitting to soliciting nude images from a minor and sharing infant porn online.
Mark Mallow, 27, was arrested Monday and charged with online possession of child pornography, a third-degree felony punishable by two to 10 years in prison, and online solicitation of a minor under 14 years of age, a second-degree felony punishable by two to 20 years in prison.
Independent journalist Alex Rosen, who specializes in tracking pedophiles online, captured Mallow on video admitting to soliciting a picture of a 14-year-old boy’s genitals via the Grindr app.
Mallow also admitted using the Telegram app to share images of child sexual abuse showing victims as young as infants.
“That’s what people do,” Mallow told Rosen.
Local police then arrived on scene and arrested Mallow.
He was booked into Bexar County Jail on July 17. A judge set his bond for both charges at $175,000.
This is the second time Mallow has been arrested on child porn charges.
Until his first child pornography arrest in August 2022, Mallow taught at Woodlake Hills Middle School in Judson Independent School District, located in northeast San Antonio.
He also reportedly gave private music lessons.
Following a tip from the photo and messaging app Snapchat, filed with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in April 2022, authorities discovered Mallow had sent images and video of young boys engaged in sex acts to another Snapchat user.
Mallow was then charged with possession of child pornography, a third-degree felony, and promotion of child pornography, a second-degree felony.
He was booked into Bexar County Jail on August 31, 2022, and released within a day on a $180,000 bond.
State Board for Educator Certification records show Mallow is under investigation by the Texas Education Agency, though his teaching certificate is still valid.
Texas Scorecard has reported on dozens of “bad apples”—Texas educators accused of sex crimes involving students and other minors.
