Twin Cities school worker charged with possessing child sexual abuse material
MAPLEWOOD, Minn. — A Twin Cities school worker faces 10 counts of child pornography possession after investigators say they found hundreds of digital files containing sexual abuse material.
William Michael Haslach, 30, was charged in Ramsey County on Tuesday after being arrested following an investigation by Maplewood police and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension's Internet Crimes Against Children Unit.
Police announced on Wednesday that Haslach, of Maplewood, is a recess and traffic monitor at North St. Paul's Cowern Elementary, Richardson Elementary and North Senior High schools. Police say they're still "working to determine if any students are involved."
According to the criminal complaint, Haslach allegedly uploaded the files to a Dropbox account in November 2024, with the internet crimes unit alerting police on Jan. 2.
The IP address connected to the account's email led them to Haslach, who was arrested at his home on Friday. Investigators found "multiple USB drives, and devices containing 'child sexual abuse material,'" which are still being examined by a forensic team.
Haslach admitted to investigators he collected the abuse material via connections made on social media platforms including Bluesky, Telegram and Teleguard, the complaint states.
About 800 files have been recovered by investigators, but the criminal complaint zeroes in on 10 videos featuring children as young as 3 years old suffering immense abuse.
Christine Tucci Osorio, superintendent of the North St. Paul-Maplewood–Oakdale School District, confirmed in a statement sent to families that Haslach has been a district employee since September 2021 and is now on administrative leave.
"The district did not receive any complaints or allegations regarding Mr. Haslach's conduct toward students," Tucci Osorio said.
She says district leaders are fully operating with law enforcement in the investigation.
"We understand the gravity of these charges and remain committed to maintaining a safe and supportive environment for our students," she said.
WCCO-TV spoke on Wednesday with Maplewood Police Lt. Joe Steiner, who says his department is taking this case "very seriously."
"Any time we're investigating an incident or a case involving children and predatory offenders, we work very diligently and tirelessly to get justice," Steiner said.
He says cases like these are intensive efforts involving a lot of technology.
"Predatory offenders that target children are very concerning, and it's disgusting at the same time," Steiner said. "We really look out for our children and want to keep them safe."
Haslach made his first court appearance on Wednesday morning where his bail was set at $100,000. His next hearing is scheduled for Feb. 27. Child pornography possession carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence.
Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact the BCA's victim relations coordinator for the Predatory Crimes Section by phone at 651-793-2465, or via email at vfc.coordinator@state.mn.us.
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.
