A former Fort Worth high school teacher is facing up to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to one count of production of child pornography.
Matthew Anthony Keller, 24, taught at Southwest High School in Fort Worth, according a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Police said the investigation began after a parent of a 15-year-old discovered a relationship between the teen and Keller.
Police said the parent was even more worried after discovering that Keller planned to fly from Fort Worth to visit the minor in Macomb County, Michigan, where the teen lives.
Police obtained a search warrant at Keller’s residence in Watauga. There, they said they found an explicit video of the 15-year-old after seizing Keller’s computer, the press release said.
Keller was arrested in July. On Wednesday morning, he pleaded guilty to one count of child pornography and now faces between 15 and 30 years in federal prison along with a $250,000 fine.
Project Safe Childhood was the nationwide initiative that led the effort to prosecute Keller. The project aims to combat “the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse,” the press release said.
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Keller is scheduled to be sentenced on March 2, 2017, according to U.S. District Judge Terry R. Means.
The Tarrant County District Attorney's Office along with the Macomb County Sheriff's Office said they are still investigating.
