Bus driver for New Prague Area Schools charged with possessing child sexual abuse material

A Minnesota school bus driver is accused of possessing hundreds of files containing sexual abuse material depicting girls as young as 4 years old, according to a criminal complaint filed in Scott County on Friday.

David Leigh Hadfield, 63, is facing 10 counts of possessing child sexual abuse material involving a minor under the age of 14.

Charges say on April 30, the New Prague Police Department received a case involving the possession of child sexual abuse material. The case was initiated by Google and investigated by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to determine the city where the suspect resided.

Based on information provided by Google, detectives were able to identify the suspect as Hadfield, a school bus driver employed by New Prague Area Schools Transportation.

Google provided hundreds of child sexual abuse materials files that had been stored on Hadfield's Google Photos account and Android phone. Charges say the victims were between the ages of 4 and 11 years old.

Hadfield was arrested on Wednesday and his phone was taken into evidence. 

According to the criminal complaint, in a post-Miranda statement, Hadfield acknowledged the materials, saying "I got on a website and saw pictures," and "I never acted on anything."

WCCO is awaiting comment from New Prague Area Schools.

If you know of a child who may have been a victim of exploitation, call the National Center for Missing or Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678 or visit the website.

To report concerns about child abuse, neglect or sexual abuse, the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families recommends contacting the county or Tribal Nation where the child lives. You can find a list of Minnesota's county and tribal child protection agencies by clicking here. If there is an immediate concern of harm to the child, the agency recommends calling 911.