Carolyn Fath Ashby
Madison's four high schools, including East (above), are older buildings in need of maintenance and upgrades.
A Madison East High School teacher, David Kruchten, has been charged with seven counts of attempting to produce child pornography. Kruchten, a business education teacher, was put on administrative leave in December after East students found hidden cameras in their hotel rooms while on a school trip in Minneapolis.
“This indictment alleges criminal conduct that is an unconscionable betrayal of trust,” wrote Attorney General Josh Kaul in a Jan. 30 press statement. “Thank you to everyone whose hard work resulted in today’s arrest. We will continue working to ensure that there is full accountability for the crimes alleged in this case.”
Kruchten is an advisor to East’s DECA program, an extracurricular club that competes around the country in marketing and business events. The students were attending a DECA conference when they found hidden cameras in their rooms at the Hyatt Regency. Kruchten was arrested by federal agents Thursday morning. The arrest stems from a joint investigation conducted by the Minneapolis Police Department and the Wisconsin Department of Justice.
The indictment does not include the December dates when students found the cameras in Minneapolis. The indictment lists charges from on or about Jan. 20, 2019, and Oct. 27, 2019. The October date lines up with DECA conferences in Wisconsin Dells.
However, according to a document obtained by Isthmus, the Minneapolis Police Department has concluded its investigation into the cameras found inside the hotel rooms of East students at the Hyatt Regency. The police findings have been submitted to the Hennepin County attorney’s office for consideration of additional charges against Kruchten in that jurisdiction.
In 2018, Kruchten was given the Wisconsin DECA Red Apple Award in recognition of "outstanding service to Wisconsin DECA and marketing education."
The announcement from the U.S. Department of Justice and Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul comes one day after a federal grand jury authorized the indictment of Kruchten.
“My office is committed to vigorously investigating those who target children and prosecuting them to the fullest extent of the law,” wrote Scott Blader, United States attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin.
If convicted on all seven counts, Kruchten faces a minimum of 105 years in federal prison.
Interim Superintendent Jane Belmore called the news "incredibly disturbing."
"We want to assure you that MMSD will do everything we can do to support our students and community through this unimaginably challenging time," said Belmore in a press statement. "Together, as a community, East High School and the MMSD community will get through this by pulling together in support of one another, and do what is best for our students."
[Editor’s note: This story has been updated to indicate the dates listed in the indictment and to correct when a DECA conference occurred. Information about police findings being reviewed by the Hennepin County attorney's office was also added. ]
