ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — A former teacher in the Pattonville School District is facing child sexual abuse charges.
Jonathan Striebel, 47, was charged with promoting child pornography and possession of child pornography after police said he kept, for years, a nude photo of a former student that was taken when she was 16 years old then sent it to her.
According to charging documents, police started investigating Striebel after several former students reported him for inappropriate behavior.
During the investigation, police discovered a photo showing a nude girl inside a bathroom. One of Striebel's former students said the photo was of her and was taken when she was 16 years old.
Police said Striebel kept the photo for years and sent it to the student. Police said Striebel admitted that he knew the photo was taken when the former student was underage.
A spokesperson for the Pattonville School District said the district "did not receive any reports or were aware of any police investigations" into Striebel's alleged behavior while he was a teacher in the district. The spokesperson said Striebel was a teacher Holman Middle School from 2006 until he resigned in 2023.
Pattonville Superintendent Barry Nelson sent the following letter to families in the district:
Dear Pattonville families,
On Monday, we notified families that the district was made aware of a social media post referencing a Holman Middle School staff member who resigned in 2023. Today, we learned that this former employee, Jonathan Striebel, has been arrested and charged with possession of and promoting child pornography. The district is saddened to learn about this. Due to the nature of these charges, we want to assure our families that, during his time in Pattonville, the district never received any reports related to the type of behavior described in these charges.
Because this is an active police investigation, if you have any additional concerns related to this case, please contact the Bridgeton Police Department at (314) 739-7557.
Sincerely,
Dr. Barry Nelson
Superintendent
