Federal grand jury indicts former WACO teacher

Billy Hobbs, The Union-Recorder, Milledgeville, Ga.
·2 min read

Jul. 14—EDITOR'S NOTE — An indictment is an allegation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law beyond reasonable doubt.

A 21-count criminal indictment has been returned by a federal grand jury against a Milledgeville man and former teacher at Washington County High School in Sandersville.

The charges are related to producing, distributing and receiving child sexual abuse material or what also is known as (CSAM), federal authorities say.

The multi-count indictment was returned Tuesday against 32-year-old Michael Allen Dendy by grand jury convened in Macon.

Information about the case was sent out in a press release Wednesday from Melissa Hodges, public affairs director and spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Middle District of Georgia in Macon.

Local, state and federal law enforcement authorities arrested Dendy earlier this year at his residence in Milledgeville related to a child pornography investigation.

Specifically, grand jurors charged Dendy with eight counts of receipt of child pornography, seven counts of distribution of child pornography, five counts of production of child pornography, and one count of possession of child pornography.

Dendy, who taught at Washington County High School from August 2020 until his arrest on Jan. 20, faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison up to a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison on each count of production of child pornography. He also faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison up to a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison on each count of distribution and receipt of child pornography. He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, if convicted, for the charge of possession of child pornography.

"The indictment alleges that Dendy enticed minor children to engage in sexually explicit acts which were filmed or photographed," according to the press release. "In addition, Dendy allegedly distributed, received and possessed child sexual abuse material (CSAM) of minors."

Before working at Washington County High School, Dendy taught in one other school district in Georgia — Griffin High School in Griffin from 2018-2020.

Dendy also taught school in a couple of other states — St. Charles High School in Waldorf, Md. from 2017-2018; and Starkville High School in Starkville, Miss. from 2014-2016.

The case remains under investigation by U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Washington County Sheriff's Office in Sandersvville, with assistance from the Leesburg, Virginia Police Department, Charles County, Maryland Sheriff's Office, and the Middle Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office in Swainsboro.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Peach is prosecuting the case.

Authorities with U.S. Homeland Security Investigations are asking that parents or guardians of children who may have encountered Dendy and have concerns related to this investigation to call the HSI tip line at 1-866-347-2423.