‘TheOneYouLeftBehind’: Ex-teacher sentenced, catfished students

SANDERSVILLE, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - A former Washington County High School teacher has been sentenced after catfishing his students and ing sexually explicit content on social media, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Michael Allen Dendy, 33, of Milledgeville was sentenced Thursday to serve 400 months in prison, followed by ten years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Marc Treadwell.

Dendy was a teacher from August 2020 until his arrest on Jan. 20, 2023, according to officials.

“We are committed to holding people like Michael Allen Dendy able to the fullest extent of the law for monstrously preying on adolescents, in this case tricking minors to send him explicit images and ing them online for other predators to view,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “I am thankful for our law enforcement partners who are dedicated to protecting the innocent and bringing child predators to justice.”

Dendy will have to as a child sex offender, according to the news release. Dendy previously pleaded guilty to one count of production of child pornography and one count of distribution of child pornography on July 30.

“Michael Allen Dendy will no longer be able to prey on children and he will be an old man when he is released from prison,” said Washington County Sheriff Joel Cochran. “We are resolute in our commitment to safeguarding our children and ensuring that those who prey on them are held able. I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to all law enforcement officers, prosecutors and personnel who worked tirelessly on this case. Your dedication and hard work have made our community safer and brought us closer to justice for the victims.”

According to court documents and statements, the sheriff’s office received multiple complaints regarding child pornography being posted on Discord in Dec. 2022.

The release states deputies were informed that several high school students had their images posted under “WACO Confessions” without their knowledge or approval. The investigation found the page was created by Dendy—under the name “TheOneYouLeftBehind.”

The IP address most frequently used to access the was tracked to Dendy’s home, the release states.

Dendy itted to obtaining nude images of individuals, particularly of underage students at Washington County High School. He confirmed that he would communicate with the students using fake Instagram s—posing as a young male and a young female—and that he never met with any students in person.

According to the release, Dendy also itted to creating “WACO Confessions.” Dendy said that he began his catfishing scheme in 2016, when he lived in Mississippi and continued while residing in Maryland and Georgia. Dendy said he was not able to stop despite knowing that what he was doing was wrong.

Dendy taught at three schools previously: Griffin High School in Griffin, Georgia, from 2018-2020; St. Charles High School in Waldorf, Maryland, from 2017-2018; and Starkville High School in Starkville, Mississippi, from 2014-2016.

Parents and guardians of children who may have encountered Dendy and have concerns can the Homeland Security Investigations tip line at 1-866-347-2423.

A search warrant executed at Dendy’s residence recovered numerous electronic devices containing CSAM and chat conversations between Dendy and several identified victims.

Between Jan. 1, 2023, and Jan. 31, 2023, Dendy persuaded a 16-year-old to engage in sexually explicit conduct, film the conduct and share it through social media, officials say.

The release states that in a separate incident, on Dec. 11, 2022, Dendy ed a video to “WACO Confessions” depicting a minor, who was between the ages of 14 and 15, engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

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