Huron Middle School staff member arrested for child porn

By Asher Dienken

KELO

HURON –– Huron Middle School staff member Richard Hotchkiss is in custody after child porn was found on his phone.

“The investigation is ongoing, and we don’t believe at this time that Huron School District students were involved,” Huron School District Superintendent Dr. Kraig Steinhoff said in a statement released Wednesday.

The statement from the school district also said that Hotichkiss has resigned pending board approval. “The employee will no longer be allowed on school grounds,” Steinhoff said in the school district statement.

Court documents say that on Feb. 1, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) received a Cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). The investigation led to the discovery of child pornography on a phone owned by Hotchkiss.

The Cybertip indicated that a media file was uploaded in December of 2025 to the cloud storage account of a Verizon phone number.

A DCI officer reviewed the file, which contained child pornography. An additional seven Cybertips were also linked to the same phone number and email address, relating to similar activity dating back to 2015.

A search warrant revealed over 30 more images depicting child pornography from text message exchanges on a cell phone in 2016. The images involved female children ranging from infants to approximately 6 years old.

On Tuesday, Hotchkiss was contacted at Huron Middle School, where he was found in possession of the cell phone. A search warrant was served at Hotchkiss’ residence in Huron, and an interview was conducted with Hotchkiss at the Huron Police Department.

“We strongly condemn the actions of this individual. ” Steinhoff said in the school district’s statement. “The Huron School District takes our students’ safety and well-being very seriously.”

Hotchkiss is being held on a $10,000 cash bond.