Former Sixth-Grade Teacher Accused of Using AI to Create Disturbing Images of His Students

A former sixth-grade teacher at a private Christian school in North Carolina is accused of using artificial intelligence and photo editing software to create revolting kiddie porn that involved manipulated images of his own students, lawmen say.

Richard Lynn Upright, 56, was arrested and charged with 10 counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, according to WFMY News 2.

He has reportedly been fired from his position at Vandalia Christian School in Greensboro.

A detective with the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office testified at a hearing that the investigation into Upright began in December after Google flagged a Drive account linked to the suspect and reported it to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The information was passed to the FBI and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and ultimately landed with the local sheriff’s office.

Authorities say investigators identified 111 images of child sexual abuse material tied to Upright and state a subpoena to an internet provider confirmed the IP address associated with the alleged activity was registered to Upright’s home — located less than a mile from the school.

“A search warrant was executed at the Vandalia Christian School on Feb. 27. At that time, we discovered that the faces of many of these cyber tips … were actually photoshop photographs with his students’ heads on the images of child pornography,” a detective said, via Fox 8.

If convicted on all counts, Upright, who’s being held at a county detention center on $750,000 bond, could potentially get socked with up to 113 years behind bars.