Independence teacher charged with 11 counts of possessing child pornography: Prosecutor
An Independence teacher was charged Thursday with 11 counts of possessing child sexual abuse material, according to the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office.
Austin Meyer, 31, of Liberty, was arrested Wednesday after “more than 11 gigabytes of child pornography” were found on his work computer.
Meyer has been a drama teacher at Truman High School in the Independence School District since 2022, where he is also the faculty sponsor for the Truman chapter of the International Thespian Society, according to the Truman website and his LinkedIn profile.
Meyer has also been a teaching artist with both Kansas City Young Audiences and The Coterie Theater since December 2018, according to LinkedIn.
According to documents filed in Jackson County court, Truman school administrators contacted Independence police after school IT employees found the pornographic images on Meyer’s computer. The employees told investigators that they discovered the images of child sexual abuse after getting a malware notification that Meyer’s work computer had gotten a virus, prompting them to search his computer.
The videos portrayed children as young as eight and included portrayals of bestiality, according to court documents.
Meyer was placed on administrative leave Thursday, according to ISD spokesperson Megan Murphy.
“There is no current evidence linking any ISD students to the allegations, and the District is working closely with law enforcement and investigators,” Murphy said in a statement to The Star Thursday.
ISD administrators sent an email to Truman parents and families Thursday indicating that a staff member is on leave following criminal charges and that the school does not believe students were involved in his conduct.
“The ISD is working closely with law enforcement, and we are committed to maintaining a respectful and supportive educational environment for all students and staff,” the email reads.
Kansas City Young Audiences told The Star Thursday that Meyer is no longer affiliated with the community arts nonprofit, and declined to comment further on his pending charges. The Coterie Theater was unavailable for comment Thursday.
Andrew Russek, an attorney representing Meyer, said in a statement to The Star that his team is working to prevent “attempt[s] to prejudice the public or court against our client”.
“We caution everyone from a quick rush to judgment.,” Russek said. “Mr. Meyer is entitled to a fair judicial process. We will continue to vigorously defend Mr. Meyer and look forward to his day in court.”
Meyer is currently being held in the Jackson County Detention Center on a $100,000 cash bond. If he posts bond, he will be held on house arrest, according to court records. His next court appearance has not yet been scheduled.
This story was originally published March 20, 2025 at 3:55 PM.
