ST. LOUIS – A former elementary school teacher from Wildwood, Missouri, was sentenced Wednesday to more than four years in federal prison for possession of child pornography.
Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri said Connor Brueggemann pleaded guilty to charges that same day.
A May 4, 2020, tip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children triggered an investigation leading to a search of Brueggemann’s house on July 14, 2020.
Brueggemann, who was a music teacher at Henry Elementary School at the time, told authorities that he’d done “terrible things” and wanted to get help for his addiction, according to the plea agreement. He was fired from the school days later.
Investigators found more than 360 digital items containing child sexual abuse on Brueggemann’s electronic devices.
A U.S. District Court judge sentenced Brueggemann to 52 months in prison, followed by lifetime parole.