David Robert McKeown, 47, a middle school teacher at United Brethren in Christ (UBIC) Academy in Holly Hill, has been arrested on 19 felony counts of possession of child sexual abuse material and six felony counts of sexually abusing animals. The arrest, a collaborative effort between the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and the Holly Hill Police Department (HHPD), is part of FDLE’s statewide initiative to combat child exploitation.
“This arrest is deeply disturbing,” said FDLE Commissioner Mark Glass. “Not only was this individual trafficking in vile material but he was doing it on school grounds, during school hours surrounded by children. At FDLE, we will never allow predators to hide behind screens or school walls. We will track them down, expose them and bring them to justice.”
The investigation began on June 2 when an internet crimes against children (ICAC) detective with HHPD’s Criminal Investigation Division received a cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Endangered Children (NCMEC). The tip reported an individual using a Discord account to share multiple files depicting the sexual abuse of children.
HHPD’s investigation identified McKeown as the account holder. Detectives discovered he had received and shared 19 files depicting child sexual abuse, along with six other files depicting McKeown sexually abusing animals.
Further investigation revealed that McKeown, a teacher at UBIC Academy, downloaded and communicated with other Discord users during school hours while connected to the school’s Wi-Fi network.
On June 20, HHPD officers and special agents with FDLE’s Orlando Cybercrime Task Force executed a search warrant at McKeown’s residence. FDLE utilized Electronic Storage Device (ESD) K9 Ruby, who assisted in locating several devices that were seized for forensic analysis. A second search warrant at UBIC Academy also resulted in the seizure of additional electronic devices.
During the review of McKeown’s online accounts, detectives discovered multiple messages between McKeown and other online users. These messages revealed he was disseminating the personal information and photographs of possible UBIC Academy students, as well as artificial intelligence-generated files depicting the sexual abuse of children.
This arrest comes shortly after Governor Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 1161, known as “Brooke’s Law,” which aims to protect victims of digital sexual abuse by providing a clear process for removing exploitative deepfake material from online platforms.
McKeown was arrested without incident and transported to the Volusia County Jail. Attorney General James Uthmeier’s Office of Statewide Prosecution is prosecuting the case. The investigation remains active.
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.