MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Former Corinth School District superintendent Edward Childress has been indicted in connection with an investigation into an ex-middle school teacher accused of creating AI porn using students’ images.
The arrest of former Corinth teacher Wilson Frederick Jones led to the termination of Childress’ contract as superintendent of Corinth schools. Childress has now been indicted on state and federal charges in connection with the investigation.
WREG has followed this story since Jones’ arrest.
Jones is accused of using Artificial Intelligence to morph pictures of several students in his class, turning them into explicit material.
According to reports, the content was created on his school-issued computer in November 2024. Jones’s activity triggered a program with the school system that scans for illicit content being downloaded or shared.
Court documents show that Childress knew about the explicit material in November, but did not notify the Mississippi Department of Education until January. The evidence was seized on Mar. 3, and Jones was arrested on Mar. 12.
The indictment states that Childress concealed the acts by permitting Jones to resign his position as a teacher at the Corinth School District and misrepresented the reason behind Jones’s resignation to the school board.
None of the students involved, between the ages of 14 and 16, were aware of what Jones was allegedly doing. Parents expressed their concerns following the arrest, knowing that Superintendent Childress was aware of the illicit content, but did not report it until months later.
“We need to know. We need to know what’s going on at our schools and with our children, and not only our own but anybody else’s children,” said Jasmica Wade.
Childress was subsequently fired on Mar. 17.
Jones and Childress have both been indicted at the federal and state levels.
Childress is facing one federal count regarding his alleged knowledge of Jones’s possession and production of child pornography, and his part in concealing the crime. If convicted, he could face up to three years behind bars.
In a state indictment, he is also facing one count of Hindering Prosecution in the First Degree, which is a Class 1 felony, as returned by the Alcorn County Grand Jury.
Jones is facing two federal counts — possession of child pornography and production of content that depicts a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Count one has a maximum penalty of no more than 10 years in prison, and count two carries a penalty of at least five years, but not more than 20.
Jones was also indicted on three counts at the state level, charging him with Depicting Child Engaging in Sexual Conduct, according to District Attorney Jason D. Herring.
“This investigation uncovered many decisions, actions, and omissions that could have and should have been handled differently,” said Herring in a social media post.
The Corinth School District released a statement regarding the termination of Childress in March.
“The District’s greatest priority is the safety and well-being of its students. The Board of Trustees is heartbroken over the pain caused to these young victims and their families over the incident with a former teacher at Corinth Middle School. The District is providing these families and the families of any other affected children with appropriate counseling services for these students.”
The school district also said that the Board of Trustees is working to “quickly implement new policies designed to prevent similar incidents from ever happening again.”