A 21-year-old Little Rock teaching assistant has been charged with possessing and producing child pornography — images that depict child sexual abuse.  The U.S. attorney’s office in Little Rock, in announcing the arrest, asked for help in identifying victims.

The news release:

Advertisement

A teacher’s assistant has been arrested and charged with production of child pornography. Augustus “Gus” Shenker, 21, was charged in a criminal complaint on May 19, 2021. He was arrested today and will be arraigned this week before United States Magistrate Judge J. Thomas Ray.

On May 18, 2021, FBI agents arrested Shenker on a criminal complaint alleging transportation of child pornography and possession of child pornography. Through the course of the investigation, law enforcement learned that Shenker has been employed as a teacher’s assistant at Miss Selma’s School in Little Rock since 2017. On May 18, 2021, Shenker was released on conditions of bond, but the investigation continued, and based on new information, federal prosecutors filed a second criminal complaint charging him with production of child pornography.

The FBI is seeking to identify potential victims in this case. Anyone with additional information to report about Augustus Shenker can call the FBI at 501-221-9100.

KATV obtained a copy of the FBI complaint and it provides details about the alleged crime, including two pornographic videos of a male and prepubescent females said to have been taken on a street where the school is located. It said he had shared images of girls aged 6 to 10. It also included a statement from Miss Selma’s School, which serves children from age 2 through 6th grade.

“Upon learning the news, we took immediate action and this person is no longer employed at Miss Selma’s School. All employees, including this individual, have completed and passed a criminal background check as required by the Department of Human Services prior to employment. There is nothing more important to us than the safety of our students, employees and staff and we will continue to take precautions to ensure such.”

 

Advertisement