Urbana University High School Teacher, Girls' Cross Country Coach Arrested on Child Pornography Charges

URBANA, Ill. – A Savoy, Ill., man, Douglas O. Mynatt, 56, made his initial appearance in federal court this afternoon via video-conference before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jonathan E. Hawley, after Mynatt was arrested today on child pornography charges. Mynatt, of the 100 Block of Dropseed Ave., Savoy, Ill., is employed as a physical education teacher at Urbana’s University High School and serves as coach of the girls’ cross country program.

Mynatt waived preliminary and detention hearings and was ordered to remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

The affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint alleges that on numerous dates in January 2020, Mynatt distributed, received and possessed images of child pornography including minor girls as young as six to nine years old. According to the affidavit, Mynatt allegedly used Application A, an instant messaging application known for its feature that preserves users’ anonymity but logs IP addresses, to upload and share 15 digital files containing child pornography on five occasions in January 2020.

According to the affidavit, on March 20, 2020, the Champaign County Sheriff’s Office received a CyberTip referral that was made by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) to the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) division of the Illinois Attorney General’s Office. Application A self-reported to NCMEC that one of its online social media users possessed content believed to be images and movies of child pornography. Application A reported several IP addresses for logins by the user, identified as Mynatt, including from his home address in Savoy and at the University of Illinois in Champaign / Urbana.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Elly M. Peirson is representing the government in the prosecution. U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations, the Champaign County Sheriff’s Office, and the Urbana Police Department are conducting the investigation. This is an ongoing investigation; anyone with information is encouraged to call the Champaign County Sheriff’s Office at 217-384-1213.

If convicted, Mynatt faces penalties of up to 20 years in prison.

Members of the public are reminded that a complaint is merely an accusation; the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative led by U.S. Attorneys= Offices and the Criminal Division=s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), to marshal federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.