A Volusia County man who taught at a private school was sentenced this week to 135 years in prison after being convicted of possession of child pornography and sexual contact with an animal.
David Robert McKeown, 47, was arrested in June by the Holly Hill Police Department after the agency received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). McKeown was a sixth-grade teacher at the United Brethren in Christian (UBIC) Academy, a private elementary, middle and high school in Holly Hill.
“The abuse and trauma this predator inflicted is sick, and he deserves every moment of this sentence,” said Attorney General James Uthmeier.
“We will always seek the longest sentence possible for anyone who harms innocent children or defenseless animals. Thanks to Senior Assistant Statewide Prosecutor Emily Frazier and the Holly Hill Police Department, this criminal has been brought to justice and will not be allowed to harm another child or animal again.”
The investigation into McKeown uncovered that he used artificial intelligence to create child sexual abuse material (CSAM) with pictures of real children, some of whom may have attended the school where he was a teacher, an Attorney General news release said.
Investigators say McKeown was disseminating, downloading and communicating with users on the Discord social media platform online while connected to the UBIC Academy Wi-Fi service. Investigators say he shared 19 images of CSAM and another nine images of himself engaging in sexual acts with a family pet. There were also videos depicting sexual activities with a family pet.
The charges involved one count of aggravated possession of child pornography, 18 counts of possession of child pornography and six counts of sexual conduct with an animal.
During the sentencing phase, Circuit Judge A. Christian Miller stipulated that if McKeown is ever released from prison, he’ll be designated as a sexual offender and he won’t be allowed to ever own any animals again.
The arrest of McKeown was so shocking, the UBIC Academy indefinitely suspended operations as a school initially in July, according to a report by the Daytona Beach News Journal. The school’s website still says the online details of the educational institution are “under construction.”
