Former Independence teacher faces 6 more child pornography charges
An Independence man charged with federal possession of child sexual abuse materials is facing six more charges, according to federal court documents.
Dennis Adlai Hernandez, 28, was arrested at his home on Aug. 21 and charged with three counts of possession, production and attempted production and transportation of child pornography.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation created a “seeking information” webpage after Hernandez’s arrest for those who may have further information regarding the teacher.
He was charged with four additional counts of production and attempted production of child pornography in September.
In a superseding indictment filed on Dec. 10, prosecutors filed six more charges against Hernandez. In total, he now faces 11 counts of production and attempted production of child pornography, one count of transportation of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.
At least 12 children are listed as victims in the indictment.
At the time of his arrest, Hernandez was a first-grade teacher at Fairmount Elementary School in the Independence School District. He is the third employee in the district under criminal investigation in 2025.
He had only worked for the Independence School District for two days at the time of his arrest, district spokesperson Megan Dillard previously told The Star.
He previously taught in the North Kansas City school district at three elementary schools — Crestview, Fox Hill and Nashua — and the district’s Early Education Center and summer childcare programs.
Hernandez was arrested at his Independence home on Aug. 21 after the FBI received 19 CyberTipline reports about his internet activity from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, according to charging documents.
Around 1,000 images of child sexual abuse material were found on Hernandez’s cellphone, some of which were taken as still images from internet videos and some allegedly filmed by Hernandez.
In an interview with an FBI investigator, Hernandez allegedly said he recorded children, primarily boys, who were in his class at several elementary schools and other school sites over the last several years.
He reportedly filmed both clothed and partially nude videos of boys in educational settings, including a school bathroom, locker room and bus, according to charging documents. At least one video was produced in Gladstone, Missouri, and at least 18 children were featured in child sexual abuse material produced by Hernandez himself.
He denied making physical contact with any children he allegedly coerced into the production of child pornography.
The Star’s Ilana Arougheti contributed reporting.
