Celina police found 38 victims in former coach Caleb Elliott's child pornography case, chief says
The Celina Police Department says its seven-week-long active investigation into Caleb Elliott's child pornography case has concluded, according to its police chief.
Tuesday afternoon, CPD Chief John Cullison said after reviewing Caleb Elliott's devices, 38 victims were identified and there is no evidence so far that there are any other suspects.
Disturbing allegations outlined in arrest warrant
Additionally, disturbing new court documents obtained by CBS News Texas suggest that the former Celina middle school teacher and coach coerced a student into performing a stunt naked to get his backpack returned to him.
The arrest warrant, first obtained by CBS News Texas, alleges that a student "had his backpack taken away by Defendant. After morning football practice, Victim was in the boys' locker room at Moore Middle School. Victim was in the process of showering and changing when Defendant approached him near the shower area inside the locker room. Victim stated Defendant told him he needed to perform jumping jacks in order to get his backpack back," which the arrest report says the alleged victim did.
The chief would not comment on that allegation.
Dozens interviewed during investigation
"These young people and their families have shown remarkable bravery [during the investigation]," Cullison said.
Cullison also said investigators tried to interview Caleb Elliott's boyfriend, who some allege was underage when they started dating, but his attorney denied that request.
Dozens of other witnesses, victims and alleged suspects were interviewed over the course of the last seven weeks, Cullison said, in addition to Caleb Elliott.
"The Celina Police Department recognizes the impact this case has had on victims, their families, the entire Celina community," Cullison said. "Resources and support remain available through the Collin County Children's Advocacy Center."
The chief almost broke down talking about the damage allegedly caused by Caleb Elliot's actions.
Cullison says detectives found no evidence supporting civil lawsuit claims that school officials knew of prior incidents involving Caleb Elliott.
"We pursued every investigative lead, including those allegations we've heard in the community that people knew about this," Cullison said. "Our investigation has led to that not being a fact at this time."
In addition to Caleb Elliott's resignation, his father and Celina High School head football coach Bill Elliott, was placed on paid, non-disciplinary leave due to a potential conflict of interest related to the investigation involving his son.
Cullison said there is no evidence that suggests Bill Elliott was involved in criminal activity related to the case.
Timeline of Elliott's case
Cullison said that on Oct. 3, two witnesses walked into the CPD lobby to tell them what happened. A few hours later, Elliott was arrested and has been in police custody ever since.
Elliott has been arrested three times in the last month on child pornography-related charges. His most recent arrest came on Nov. 6 on a charge of sexual performance of a child.
Last week, a federal grand jury indicted Elliott on seven counts of producing child pornography and one count of attempted production. The U.S. Attorney's Office said the FBI is leading the investigation as part of Project Safe Childhood.
According to the indictment, Elliott coerced minor victims into sexually explicit conduct between April and October of 2025 to create images and videos, using the internet and his own digital devices.
Three lawsuits have now been filed by families accusing Celina ISD of covering up Elliott's behavior. On Monday, the district filed a response in one of those cases, denying all allegations and citing immunity under state law — even though a new Texas law that took effect in September removes that immunity in cases involving sexual misconduct.
Cullison said the case will be reopened if new information surfaces.
Celina ISD responds to police investigation
After the chief's news conference, Celina ISD released a statement encouraging anyone with additional information to contact CPD immediately, adding that it is the district's "understanding that based upon the evidence reviewed by their department, the CPD has confirmed that prior to October 3, 2025, Celina ISD staff had no prior knowledge of alleged criminal behavior by Caleb Elliot."
"From the time the District received notice from CPD on October 3, 2025, Celina ISD took all appropriate and legally-required action to report to multiple state agencies based on the information shared with the District by CPD. We also communicated with our families and encouraged them to reach out to the police with any leads that would support the Celina Police Department's investigation of Caleb Elliott and/or other employees. And finally, we immediately initiated an independent third-party investigation to ensure there was no "cover up" of information regarding the students' claims."
Caleb Elliott remains in the Collin County Jail with a $550,000 bond.