Parents at charter school outraged after discovering director's dark secret
Parents at a Utah charter school were left outraged when their trusted director's shocking arrest unmasked an alleged disturbing hidden life of child exploitation.
Jared Dallan Buckley, the 40-year-old lead director of the Leadership Learning Academy, was taken into federal custody on Tuesday and charged in a criminal complaint amid chilling allegations of possessing - and potentially producing - child pornography under the online persona, 'EMMA'.
Authorities allegedly discovered the West Point father in possession of more than 10,000 images of child sex abuse material (CSAM) following a months-long investigation, according to documents provided by the US Attorney's Office of Salt Lake City.
Buckley is being held without bail at the Davis County Jail, with court documents branding him as 'a danger to every child in the community'.
'I saw the news of the arrest, I was - I mean - I was shocked,' Nancy Burns, a concerned parent, told ABC 4 News.
'I did a double-take, because I didn't know if I was reading that correctly... that's something I would think would be totally out of character of what I knew of him and the interactions I had with him,' she added.
The investigation kicked off in October 2024, when Utah authorities were contacted by investigators from New York seeking to identify a suspicious internet account known only as 'EMMA'.
New York FBI agents told authorities that 'EMMA' was active on an app notorious for sharing child sexual abuse material - and they had reason to believe the account and device were linked to someone living in Utah.
During their investigation, agents discovered the user had shared a video of child sexual abuse, and even claimed to have had 'original' material he could produce and distribute for a profit.
After making contact with 'EMMA' by telephone, investigators allegedly traced the number straight to Jared Buckley - a father and longtime school director who had been working with children in grades kindergarten through sixth for more than a decade.
From there, the FBI obtained three federal search warrants for Buckley's residence along with his 2009 Chevrolet Silverado.
On Tuesday, local law enforcement executed the search warrants and discovered a cell phone in his vehicle - the make and model of the phone matching that of the one used by 'EMMA'.
A forensic examination of the phone's SD card unveiled 'several hundred images' of CSAM material.
Later analysis led to the discovery of even more material - between 10,000 and 50,000 images of CSAM, with some allegedly depicting children as young as infants.
The preliminary information also suggested 'that the suspect could be involved in the production of child sexual abuse material involving children outside of the United States', according to the documents.
Buckley is the lead director of both the Layton and Ogden campuses of the Leadership Learning Academy, where he has served students from kindergarten through sixth grade since 2014.
In addition to being the charter school's director, 'Buckley also appears to be involved with various local youth sports organizations'.
'He actually came to my daughter's Nutcracker performance in December of 2018 on a Friday or Saturday night,' Burns told ABC, adding that she had two children who attended the school a few years back.
'Super nice guy,' she added. 'My kids have always compared every other principal to him because he made school so fun.'
Buckley was taken into the Davis County Jail for investigation of two counts of aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor and sexual exploitation of a minor.
He is being held on a no-bail warrant, and is due back in court to appear before a federal judge on Friday morning.
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Walz said he is 'cautiously optimistic' about the senator's recovery. The attacks prompted a sweeping security response across the Twin Cities, including the cancellation of several anti-Trump 'No Kings' demonstrations that Boelter may have been monitoring. State Patrol Col. Christina Bogojevic said the suspect's car contained flyers from the group and writings that mentioned potential future targets. Boelter reportedly texted friends just before the shootings, writing cryptically: 'I've made some choices... I'm going to be gone for a while. May be dead shortly. I just want to let you know I love you guys and I wish it hadn't gone this way.' As the FBI, state police, and local law enforcement fan out in search of him, residents remain shaken by the attacks. 'This is crazy - someone going after representatives?' said Douglas Thompson, a Brooklyn Park resident. 'This is wrong. I'm hoping they'll catch him.'
