‘Jailbait4U.’ Ex-Shawnee Mission teacher, swim coach charged for child pornography
Detectives found roughly 130 images of child pornography after searching the iPad of former Shawnee Mission North High School math teacher and swim coach Alexander Morris, according to a charging affidavit released Tuesday.
Morris, 32, was arrested late last month and charged with five felony counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. The Shawnee Mission school board quickly held a special meeting and agreed to terminate his employment.
Detectives said they asked Morris about his Snapchat account, saying that “it appeared that children had been sending him photos.”
“He denied knowing any of the kids and denied that they were children he taught or coach,” Overland Park police said in the affidavit.
The district first hired Morris in November 2013. Morris also has served as a coach for the Kansas City Blazers swim team, which is part of the Johnson County Park and Recreation District, since 2011, according to its website. Spokesman Richard Smalley said that Morris is no longer employed by the Park and Recreation District. And he was reported to USA Swimming, the national governing body for the sport.
Morris is being held in the Johnson County Adult Detention Center on $150,000 bond, according to court records.
An affidavit unsealed Tuesday by a Johnson County District Court judge says that the Overland Park Police Department began investigating after Google submitted a cyber tip related to someone possibly uploading child pornography on Google Drive between January and May of this year, police said.
Police confirmed there was child pornography, including a video of an 8-year-old girl, linked to an account from a user named “Charlie Kline,” but also the email “alex.morris89@gmail.com.” Officers identified Morris through his IP address associated with his Google Fiber account.
On Sept. 15, police executed a search warrant of Morris’ home and seized several electronic devices. Morris spoke with a detective, according to the affidavit, and initially denied any involvement with the “Charlie Kline” account. Police said he later told them he “probably” used the account, as well as an email under the same name.
Morris allegedly told police that he had seen child pornography on his iPad more than five times from pop-up ads. He denied downloading or sharing child pornography.
Detectives found about 130 images and 12 videos of child porn on his iPad, as well as bookmarks of websites, such as “Jailbait4U.”
More child pornography was found on two cellphones recovered from Morris’ home, police said.
Overland Park detectives say in the affidavit that the investigation remains ongoing.
The public defender listed as Morris’ attorney did not immediately return The Star’s request for comment on Tuesday. A scheduling conference was set for 2:45 p.m. Nov. 15.
Last month, Shawnee Mission school district spokesman David Smith said that, “As the safety of our students is our highest priority, we acted as quickly as we could to remove him from the classroom, based on the information we were given.”
Several teachers in the Kansas City metro area have been accused of sexual misconduct in recent weeks.
A teacher at Center High School accused of inappropriate communication with a student was placed on leave, district officials said last week. Fired Olathe Northwest High School teacher and coach Steven Mesa is facing three felony charges and is accused of having sexual intercourse with a 17-year-old student. And Jason Carey, a substitute teacher in Belton, allegedly sent nude photos of himself to eighth graders and is accused of sexually assaulting an 8-year-old girl in early August.
This story was originally published October 11, 2022 at 3:49 PM.
