Riverside Elementary School Employee Indicted on Child Pornography Charges

Spokane, Washington - On May 22, 2024, a federal grand jury for the Eastern District of Washington returned a three-count indictment charging Dallas Michael Shuler with one count of Production of Child Pornography, one count of Distribution of Child Pornography, and one count of Receipt of Child Pornography.

If convicted, Shuler faces 30 years in prison on the charge of Production of Child Pornography, 20 years in prison for the count of Distribution of Child Pornography, and 20 years in prison for the count of Receipt of Child Pornography. Shuler would also have to register as a sex offender.

According to a complaint filed on May 13, the FBI and the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office contacted Shuler, who worked at Riverside Elementary School, about a snapchat video that depicted minors engaged in sexual conduct. Shuler recognized the video and admitted he contacted the minors online and offered explicit images in exchange for their participation in the video.

The complaint alleges Shuler told investigators he enjoyed looking at sexually explicit images of children as young as ten. Shuler also allegedly admitted to conversing with more than two dozen minors regarding sexual content, including sharing and trading sexually explicit pictures and videos.

Shuler allegedly had sexual contact with two juveniles at two separate times. According to the complaint, in both cases, Shuler recorded the sex acts and distributed the videos online. Shuler allegedly admitted he made multiple attempts to solicit other youth to meet him and engage in sex acts.

“My office and our law enforcement partners stand ready to respond with thorough investigations, aggressive prosecutions, and determined advocacy in pursuing those who seek to abuse children, whether it occurs behind a keyboard or closed doors,” stated U.S. Attorney Waldref.

This case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the U.S. Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc.

This case is being investigated by the FBI. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca Perez.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.