JANESVILLE — A sixth-grade teacher at Franklin Middle School in Janesville, who was placed on administrative leave last month after being arrested and charged with sharing a nude photo of a family member online, is now facing 10 additional felony counts of possession of child pornography.
Adam Teal
Adam Teal, 33, who expressed to an undercover investigator an interest in sexually exploiting elementary and middle- school-aged children, was arrested and charged in Rock County Court in September with capturing an intimate image without consent, which is a felony.
On Friday, Oct. 17, the 10 child pornography charges were added, each a Class D felony in Wisconsin that carries a fine of up to $100,000 and 25 years in prison, or both. He faces a mandatory sentence of at least 3 years in prison.
Janesville Superintendent Mark Holzman said in a statement in September that “the School District of Janesville is aware that a sixth-grade teacher at Franklin Middle School was arrested.”
“We are fully cooperating with local law enforcement officials in their investigation. The arrest was not related to his employment,” the statement continued. “The employee has been placed on paid administrative leave, and a long-term substitute teacher has been secured to ensure continuity of instruction for students.”
Messages left by The 69 Tuesday with the school district, seeking an update on Teal’s employment status, weren’t immediately returned.
Teal is scheduled to appear at a preliminary hearing in Rock County Circuit Court Tuesday, Oct. 28, at 9:45 a.m. Cash bond was set at $100,000. A spokesperson at the Rock County Jail confirmed Tuesday that he remains in custody.
According to court documents, Teal may not possess any electronic devices that have internet access, and have no intentional contact with any minors and no contact with his own children.
He also faces a court-imposed surcharge of $500 for each image or copy of an image associated with the crime.
According to a criminal complaint, evidence that led to the new charges was gathered from Teal’s seized cell phone and social media accounts.
Teal’s cell phone was seized upon his arrest and forensically examined by the Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation Digital Evidence Unit, which flagged more than 4,000 items as possible child sexual abuse material.
According to the complaint, a detective reported identifying at least 100 files as child pornography, stopping the count once he reached 100.
The complaint describes specific video files found, dating from December 2024 to March 2025, involving children estimated to be between the ages of 3 months and 12 years old in sexually explicit situations with adults. Material depicting bestiality was also located.
Social media evidence
Search warrants executed on Teal’s social media accounts revealed additional details.
On a Kik account, Teal identified himself multiple times as a teacher. In one group chat, he reportedly expressed a desire for incest.
He told another Kik user that he taught sixth-grade and expressed a desire for his students to engage in sexual acts.
Other Kik conversations showed Teal discussing the purchase of child pornography.
On a Snapchat account, multiple images of Teal’s genitals were located that were reportedly taken in a classroom setting.
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