Lakewood school employee charged with exchange of child pornography
A paraeducator employed by the Clover Park School District is on administrative leave after being charged with possession and exchange of child pornography.
Jayson Scott Jones was charged by Pierce County prosecutors on Oct. 28 with four counts of dealing in depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, according to court records.
Clover Park School District confirmed Wednesday that Jones worked at Dower Elementary in Lakewood as a paraeducator. He has been employed by the district since 2015, and his salary last year was $26,641.
“The district was contacted by law enforcement and advised that a paraeducator was under investigation for possessing and exchanging inappropriate images of children,” the district said in a statement Wednesday. “The district immediately placed the paraeducator on administrative leave, and the individual has had no contact with district students nor been on school property. The district is fully cooperating in the criminal investigation, and the district is not aware that any of the alleged activity involved district students or was conducted on district property. The safety of our students is our highest priority, and we remain vigilant in supporting the academic, physical, social and emotional well-being of our students.”
In October, local law enforcement officers were sent information from a police officer working undercover in Winnebago County, Wisconsin, who was talking in a chat room on Kik, an instant messaging platform.
According to court records, a 50-year-old male, later identified as Jones, shared sexually explicit images of minors in the chat room and told the undercover officer about “actively touching a 3 year old child” and that he has been involved with such images for 20 years.
The officer used the Kik account and IP address information to track down where Jones was living and executed a search warrant on the house. Police found the Kik app was downloaded and then deleted from Jones’ phone.
Jones was released on personal recognizance as he awaits trial, according to court records. During that time, he is not allowed to have contact with minor children or be on school grounds or playgrounds. The trial is scheduled for January.
This story was originally published November 4, 2021 at 10:24 AM.
