A former school employee in the Twin Cities has been federally charged for using AI to produce sexual images of children in his care was indicted on five counts of receipt of child pornography five counts of possession of child pornography and one count of production of an obscene visual representation of child sexual abuse Court documents state that Haslach worked in several “positions of trust” with children in Independent School District (ISD) #622 and ISD #834 which are located in the Oakdale and Stillwater areas Haslach was charged in Ramsey County Court with 10 counts of possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) RELATED: School employee in Maplewood arrested for possession of child sex abuse material The federal and local charges stem from the same time period of August 2021 through January 2025 when Haslach worked as a lunch monitor and traffic guard for Cowern Elementary Haslach also worked as a paraprofessional and later as a youth summer programs assistant for ISD #834 The charges allege Haslach took non-explicit photos of children in his care and used those photos to produce morphed/AI images of the minors engaging in “sexually explicit conduct.” Haslach also possessed and received child pornography that depicted children who were abused by others “Prosecuting the predators who walk amongst us—in our neighborhoods and particularly in our schools—will always be the top priority in the District of Minnesota,” said Acting U.S Kirkpatrick.  “My thoughts are with the many Minnesota parents who will be horrified to learn how Haslach used AI advances to victimize schoolchildren in his care my office will prosecute this case to the fullest extent of the law.”  He is due back in court on March 3 for a formal detention hearing “Every child is entitled to a secure upbringing and this case highlights the powerful collaboration among local and federal law enforcement agencies in their mission to safeguard them,” said Special Agent in Charge Matthew Cybert Any person with disabilities who needs help accessing the content of the FCC Public File may contact KSTP via our online form or call 651-646-5555 Attorney's Office of Minnesota with multiple counts of receipt and possession of child pornography and production of obscene visual representations of child sexual abuse Haslach worked as a lunch monitor and traffic guard at Cowern Elementary, Richardson Elementary and North High in the North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale School District between August 2021 and January this year He also worked as a paraprofessional and youth summer program assistance for Stillwater Area School District from 2021 to 2024 Haslach "used his access to children to take non-explicit photos of children in his care," before then using the images to "produce morphed/AI photos of those minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct." He was fired last month after he was first charged with child pornography crimes in Ramsey County but is now facing more than ten federal charges "My thoughts are with the many Minnesota parents who will be horrified to learn how Haslach used AI advances to victimize schoolchildren in his care my office will prosecute this case to the fullest extent of the law," said Acting U.S An appeal has been issued to parents of children who may have been under Haslach's care as authorities believe there may be further victims Anyone aware of Haslach taking a photo of their children can contact the Minnesota BCA’s Tip Line at 651-793-2465 or email bca.tips@state.mn.us. A website has also been set up for alleged victims of Haslach's actions, which can be found here. Note: The details provided in this story are based on law enforcement’s latest version of events, and may be subject to change. saying he'd killed the mother of his child which features a swimming beach and splash pad in the venerable Farmers and and Mechanics Savings Bank building Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale School District since 2021 pleaded guilty to one count of obtaining possession of controlled substance by misrepresentation on Thursday 2025 at 1:11 pm CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}William Michael Haslach​ faces 10 counts of child pornography possession Each count carries a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine (Ramsey County Sheriff's Office)MAPLEWOOD MN — A 30-year-old Maplewood man who worked at several schools in the Twin Cities metro is accused of possessing troves of child sexual abuse material including material he received over social media site BlueSky William Michael Haslach faces 10 counts of child pornography possession Haslach was a recess and traffic monitor at Cowern Elementary detectives from the Maplewood Police Department were alerted to a cyber tip from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension regarding a Dropbox account linked to child sexual abuse material (CSAM) The tip was triggered by videos uploaded to the account on Nov Investigators connected the account to Haslach detectives secured search warrants for both Haslach's Dropbox account and his Maplewood residence officers seized multiple USB drives and devices containing CSAM A preliminary review revealed roughly 800 CSAM files Haslach was arrested and in a post-Miranda interview he admitted to having a sexual attraction to children He also acknowledged using messaging platforms such as Telegram and BlueSky to connect with others who share similar interests and obtain illicit material Haslach denied ever having sexual contact with a child Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. a former employee of Independent School District 622 (North St Maplewood and Oakdale) and ISD 834 in Stillwater was charged with possession of child pornography and production of obscene visual representation of child sexual abuse held several positions that placed him close to children he served as a lunch monitor and traffic guard for ISD 622 he served as a paraprofessional and later as a youth summer programs assistant in Stillwater 22 following an investigation by Maplewood police and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension’s Internet Crimes Against Children Unit Haslach would take non-explicit photos of children in his care and use those images to produce AI photos of those minors engaging in “sexually explicit conduct,” according to a Wednesday news release from the U.S Haslach also possessed and received child pornography involving children who were abused by others “Prosecuting the predators who walk amongst us — in our neighborhoods and particularly in our schools— will always be the top priority in the District of Minnesota,” Kirkpatrick said “My thoughts are with the many Minnesota parents who will be horrified to learn how Haslach used AI advances to victimize schoolchildren in his care my office will prosecute this case to the fullest extent of the law.” The federal indictment charges Haslach with “five counts of receipt of child pornography five counts of possession of child pornography and one count of production of an obscene visual representation of child sexual abuse.” Haslach made his initial appearance Wednesday in U.S Leung and was ordered to remain in custody pending a formal detention hearing March 3 before Judge Douglas L A school employee in Maplewood is facing 10 counts of possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) According to the Maplewood Police Department 30-year-old William Michael Haslach was charged Tuesday with ten counts of possession of pornographic work involving minors under the age of 14 was a recess and traffic monitor at Cowern Elementary The district said in a statement that Haslach is currently on administrative leave and would not be allowed to be on school property or have contact with any students police were alerted to Haslach’s alleged online activities by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension which told police multiple videos containing CSAM had been sent to an email and IP address connected to Haslach who reportedly admitted to police that he was sexually attracted to minors Haslach said he would meet with other people on a variety of apps Haslach has denied ever having sexual contact with a child The court document detailed ten videos reportedly found in Haslach’s possession but police said they had found 800 files of CSAM and they were continuing to perform forensic examinations police said they were working to determine if any students were involved and asked parents who believe their child is a victim to contact the Predatory Crimes Section of the BCA at 651-793-2465 A statement from School District 622, where Haslach worked, provided a statement which reads in part: “This individual is currently on administrative leave from the school district and will not be on school property or have any contact with students Throughout his employment with the School District the district did not receive any complaints or allegations regarding Mr The district takes the safety and security of our students extremely seriously We have been cooperating fully with law enforcement in their investigation and will continue to do so as the process unfolds We understand the gravity of these charges and remain committed to maintaining a safe and supportive environment for our students Thank you for your understanding and cooperation during this difficult time.” Haslach’s first court appearance was Wednesday morning MINNEAPOLIS (WJON News) -- A Minnesota man has been charged with creating child pornography using AI Justice Department says 30-year-old William Haslach of Woodbury worked as a school lunch monitor and traffic guard from August 2021 until January 2025 in School District 622 He also was a paraprofessional and youth summer programs assistant from 2021 until 2024 in the Stillwater School District Haslach used his access to children to take non-explicit photos of children in his care He then used those images to produce morphed/AI photos of those minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct Haslach also had and received child pornography involving children abused by others Investigators believe there may be other victims relevant to this investigation If your child has been in close contact with Haslach and/or if you or your child is aware of Haslach taking a photo of your child please contact the Minnesota BCA’s Tip Line at 651-793-2465 or email bca.tips@state.mn.us A Minnesota man has been charged with creating child pornography using AI.\nRead More MINNEAPOLIS (WJON News) -- A Minnesota man has been charged with creating child pornography using AI William Haslach was a recess and traffic monitor at three schools, all in North St. Paul, until he was fired. A staff member assigned to multiple schools in Ramsey County has been charged with possessing hundreds of videos of child pornography. William Michael Haslach, 30, of Maplewood, was charged Tuesday in Ramsey County District Court with 10 counts of possessing pornography involving a minor in connection with allegations that he obtained the videos from other people via various social media platforms. Haslach was arrested on Jan. 17, posted an $80,000 bond and was released from jail Thursday ahead of a Feb. 27 court appearance. A message was left Friday with his attorney seeking a response to the charges. Haslach was a recess and traffic monitor at three schools, all in North St. Paul: Cowern Elementary, Richardson Elementary and North St. Paul High School, said Christine Tucci Osorio, superintendent of the North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale School District. Tucci Osorio said the district has fired Haslach in light of the allegations. “Throughout his employment with the school district, from September 2021 to January 2025, the district did not receive any complaints or allegations regarding Mr. Haslach’s conduct toward students,” read a statement sent Wednesday by the superintendent to families with children in those schools. A tip received by the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension led Maplewood police to Haslach’s home, where he was arrested on Jan. 17. Haslach admitted to police that he has a sexual attraction to children. He said he would connect with other people via various social media platforms to obtain videos depicting child pornography. He denied ever sexually abusing a child. Police searched his home and recovered multiple USB drives that held roughly 800 files of videos showing minors being sexually abused. The victims range in age from as young as 3 years old to no older than 12. Dates on the videos span from December 2018 to December 2024. Paul Walsh is a general assignment reporter at the Minnesota Star Tribune. He wants your news tips, especially in and near Minnesota. Books Ariel Lawhon and Imani Perry also are coming to Hopkins for the popular Hennepin County Library series Hyperlocal cable TV stations that broadcast everything from high school sports to city government meetings confront a perilous existence The state’s 61st Teacher of the Year is the first from the Eden Prairie school district to win the award Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Victoria Edwards, The OregonianAmbassador Patricia Haslach, a Lake Oswego native, will be in Portland on Saturday to receive an award for career achievement from St. Mary's Academy Haslach has spent more than 20 years working for the U.S. Department of State, mostly recently as one of the leaders of the department's newest bureau, the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations she coordinated transition efforts in Iraq as combat troops prepared to leave the country at the end of 2011 She's also served in diplomacy roles in Afghanistan the Lao People's Democratic Republic and India Haslach answered questions from The Oregonian before she arrived in Portland for the award ceremony How long has it been since you were back in the Portland area Any standout memories from growing up in Lake Oswego I come back quite regularly because my mother lives in Lake Oswego and my brother Tim is a practicing attorney in Portland my daughter graduated from Lewis and Clark a couple of years ago I always look forward to coming back to Oregon It’s small in terms of population but it’s big in terms of its diversity The state has so much to offer from skiing to downtown Portland and its great restaurants and microbreweries Mary's Academy centers on your career Well, I didn't actually choose diplomacy. I wanted to combine my love of travel and my goal of visiting every country in the world with a job. Diplomacy combines those. Sister Jean Marie, my French teacher at St. Mary's, was really the first person to instill that in me – the desire to travel and the desire to learn languages. I actually started my career with the Foreign Agricultural Service and then I switched over to the Department of State I'm very lucky that I've been able to combine what I love to do personally with my job You've taken on many different roles with the U.S from coordinating transition efforts in Iraq to serving as U.S Ambassador to the Lao People's Democratic Republic What led you to take on such diverse positions and which one has presented the biggest challenge My graduate degree focused on Western European affairs It was interesting because these various opportunities would present themselves and I would decide to go for them There is actually a theme behind what I’ve been doing My current job combines my interests in preventing conflict and working on different sorts of strategies – like we’re doing with the Syrian opposition My current job as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations brings everything together I like taking on challenges. My first post in the Foreign Service was actually in India And I had no background in India but I thought my goodness what a fabulous way to start my career by going to such a magnificent place like India You lead the Department of State's newest bureau the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations What has it been like leading a brand-new organization The Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations was preceded by the Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review established the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization operations as a bureau The new bureau subsumed the Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization Each case is challenging and represents a strategic interest to the United States we’re also involved in a number of smaller What I like about the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations new approach is that it requires creativity and it requires flexibility In many cases we will look at a conflict from a different perspective not just the traditional U.S.-direct intervention It could be that we don’t intervene directly “Champions of Peace,” to help identify when politicians were engaged in hate speech And we used Kenyans to get the message out You recently gave a talk on the United States' role in addressing sexual violence in Libya and Syria and another on gender equality in African militaries and governments Why have you chosen to focus on gender issues in foreign policy The President's National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security addresses gender issues in foreign policy Under the Department of State's implementation plan it is my responsibility to take the lead for the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations on women in peace and conflict Preventing sexual and gender-based violence is one component Women have to be involved in all aspects of the peace process I’m talking about in places like Liberia and Sierra Leone and even in Syria today Women need to be part of the political process from the beginning If you leave out 50 percent of your population Women have a different perspective and it needs to be brought in to the negotiations the peace accords will provide for amnesty to the perpetrators of sexual and gender-based violence The drafters will basically write themselves out of any sort of liability or chance for prosecution in these cases So I believe very strongly in the role of women in peace and conflict I actually handled all the women’s issues when I was in Iraq And I was very much involved with the women’s programs when I worked on Afghanistan Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, (updated 8/1/2024) and acknowledgement of our Privacy Policy, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/1/2025) © 2025 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us) The material on this site may not be reproduced except with the prior written permission of Advance Local Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site YouTube's privacy policy is available here and YouTube's terms of service is available here Ad Choices Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors Ambassador to Ethiopia on 08/14/2013.  Ambassador Haslach previously served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Department of State’s newest bureau Ambassador Haslach was the State Department’s Coordinator for Iraq Transition in the Office of the Deputy Secretary for Management and Resources she was responsible for coordinating all Washington-based State Department aspects of the U.S transition from military to civilian operations culminating with the withdrawal of U.S Ambassador Haslach brings with her a long career dealing with development issues in countries under going transition She served as the Deputy Coordinator for Diplomacy for the U.S Global Hunger and Food Security Initiative (Feed the Future) from June 2010 to March 2011 and as Assistant Chief of Mission for Assistance Transition at the U.S Embassy in Iraq from July 2009 to June 2010 where she was responsible for overseeing the transfer and completion of development and assistance programs As Director for the Office for Afghanistan from 2002-2004 Ambassador Haslach oversaw a multi-billion-dollar reconstruction program she was Ambassador to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC) Ambassador to the Lao People’s Democratic Republic She has also served as Economic Counselor in Pakistan and Deputy Economic Counselor in Indonesia and in Nigeria Ambassador Haslach began her career with the federal government at the U.S Department of Agriculture and was assigned to India as the regional Agricultural Attaché from 1987 to 1990 She followed that assignment with a State Department posting to the U.S Mission to the European Union managing assistance to the Group of 24 countries Ambassador Haslach has received numerous awards during her career including a Superior Honor Award for Afghanistan reconstruction in 2004 The Director General’s Award for Impact and Originality in Reporting in 2002 The Herbert Salzman Award for Excellence in International Economic Performance in 2002 and the Sinclaire Language Award for distinguished study of a hard language and its associated culture in 1998 Ambassador Haslach earned her BA from Gonzaga University in Spokane and her Master in International Affairs and Certificate from the Institute on Western Europe from Columbia University in New York She has two daughters Shereen and Kiran Herbert Source: http://ethiopia.usembassy.gov/bio.html Information: www.stmaryspdx.org/academyawards Haslach,completed her term in office- according to report by government affiliated broadcaster -FANA She was appointed as Ambassador to Ethiopia in 2013 She reportedly met with Ethiopia’s ceremonial president No word as to who is taking over the Ambassadorial post in Ethiopia Secretary of State John Kerry reportedly met with Kenya’s president – Uhuru Kenyatta- yesterday Somalia and the fight against terrorism are among the items that Kerry is discussing with Kenyatta It doesn’t look like he is stopping over Ethipoia Join the conversation : follow us on Twitter . Like us on Facebook And please share