Former Michigan elementary school janitor indicted for possessing child pornography
ROCKFORD, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - A former school janitor in Michigan who is accused of posting photos of children in a social media group was recently indicted for possessing child pornography, officials said.
Bradley Arkesteyn, 28, of Rockford was indicted by a grand jury and was previously charged with a criminal complaint. Arkesteyn has been detained since by the Court since March 20, according to U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten.
The former janitor is accused of posting photos and videos in a group called "Kiddos Only" on a social media messaging app.
In addition, Arkesteyn shared his interest in children in private messages with an undercover FBI agent, and discussed how he works at an elementary school.
When the undercover agent asked him if he ever gets to talk to the students at the elementary school Arkesteyn responded and said, "Arkesteyn replied, 'Oh bro! They absolutely love me! The 2nd graders mostly. They call me Bobby lmao,' according to the criminal complaint.
Arkesteyn further stated in the message, "I might get caught staring at this one girl's feet tho."
In addition to this, Arkesteyn also made the following statements in messages with the undercover agent:
- "I almost wish I would get caught but not get in trouble, so I'll know I'll be safe. Im getting close to receiving hugs. I've had a few."
- "Some of the girls are curious. They're super friendly with me too. I'm almost certain I could share a secret that I like little girls feetses and they wouldn't tell on me."
On March 19, investigators executed a search warrant at Arkesteyn's home, where he admitted to receiving and sending child pornography on Kik and Telegram.
He told investigators that he had been viewing child pornography for the past 10 years and the "his preferred ages and gender was 7 to 14-year-old girls." He also admitted to them that when he was 18 he would get photos of 13 to 14 year old girls through the chat website called Omegle.
Arkesteyn also discussed his work as a janitor when questioned by the investigators.
"He is around the kids during lunch because he is part of the lunch program at the school," the criminal complaint said. "Arkesteyn admitted to smelling the shoes of 1st through 4th grade students. He claimed that this was an involuntary action that he could not control. He also had urges to touch the feet of 7-14-year-old girls, but said he had not acted on this. He claimed to have a few favorite 2nd grade girls at the schools that he said were "obsessed" with him."
Arkesteyn was working as a janitor for Forest Hills Public Schools at the time of his arrest. The district sent out a letter to the school community notifying them that a janitor who worked in multiple buildings had been placed on administrative leave pending the investigation. He had worked for the school district since 2023.
"I am grateful to our dedicated agents and task force officers from the Western Michigan Based Crimes Against Children Task Force (WEBCHEX) for their investigative work on this case," said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. "Today's indictment is a testament to the FBI and task force officers' daily work to combat sexual exploitation, particularly against minors. Those who engage in such crimes will face justice."
