HURRICANE, Utah — A Hurricane preschool teacher was arrested after an investigation found evidence that he shared sexually explicit photographs of children and allegedly asked to have contact with at least one other minor.
Benjamin Stewart, 43, faces two counts of aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of sexual exploitation of a minor.
According to the arrest report, Stewart used his work email with the Washington County School District to access an online account where he shared the photos and spoke about having sexual contact with a minor.
The Washington County School District said Stewart has been terminated from his position as a preschool life skills teacher at the Hurricane Early Childhood Center. Officials added that no children within the district were involved in Stewart's charges.
Stewart's alleged behavior was reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited children via a cybertip on Feb. 21. The tip claimed Stewart had told told others about sexually abusing the minor and shared photos of the minor with others online. It also alleged that Stewart "solicited nude images of children and solicited contact with other subjects' children."
After identifying Stewart through the email and photo on the account, a search warrant was issued where "multiple chat records were observed consistent with the chats reported in the CyberTips in which the suspect account exchanged photos, requested nude photos of juveniles."
During an interview with police, Stewart admitted to being the user of the Kik.com account and sharing the sexually explicit photos of the minor, but denied sending or receiving nude photos of children.
The school district said Stewart, who was arrested on Thursday, was hired in August 2023 after passing a background check.
