A former Mesquite ISD high school teacher has been sentenced to 30 years in a Texas prison after pleading guilty to an enhanced first-degree felony charge involving possession of child pornography depicting the sexual assault of a child younger than 10.
Rockwall County District Court Judge Brett Hall sentenced Chad Beery following an investigation that began with a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to the North Texas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The tip indicated Beery had shared files containing child pornography with other users through a social media messaging platform.
Rockwall police Det. Michael Manuel took over the investigation in November of last year. Beery was arrested, and investigators seized numerous electronic devices from his home.
Forensic analysis of the devices uncovered additional illegal and disturbing images, along with conversations between Beery and other online predators, according to the Rockwall County District Attorney’s Office.
Beery was initially charged with multiple lesser counts. Prosecutors later indicted him on the enhanced first-degree felony charge of possession of child pornography depicting the sexual assault of a child under the age of 10. He pleaded guilty to the charge.
“Chad Beery violated the trust our community places in its educators. I am thankful for the tireless and collaborative work of the Rockwall Police Department, NCMEC and the North Texas ICAC Task Force that helped to identify and put a predator like Beery away,” Rockwall County Assistant District Attorney Jacob Piper said.
Rockwall County District Attorney Kenda Culpepper credited NCMEC with helping law enforcement identify online predators.
“NCMEC is an incredible tool that allows law enforcement to identify these online predators,” Culpepper said. “These criminals hide in the shadows and take sick advantage of our most vulnerable victims. We will continue to prosecute these offenders with the most serious offenses available.”
