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DFormer Knox Co. bus driver accused of creating child porn

# State
DollyParton

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- A former Knox County Schools bus driver uploaded over 300 child porn videos and pictures to the internet, according to a federal criminal complaint.

Lucas Anthony Nichols was arrested on October 27 after Homeland Security agents say he admitted to uploading child pornography to sites for about a year, exchanging explicit videos of children as young as six or seven years old, and recording inappropriate videos of minors.

Court documents claim Nichols had 314 pornographic pictures and videos of children ranging in ages of two years old to 14 years old.

Nichols told investigators he used internet-based chat application KIK messenger and file storage system Dropbox to trade explicit images of children.

A search warrant affidavit revealed that Dropbox reported an account associated with the email address "lucasanichols@gmail.com" to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children for uploading hundreds of files depicting child sex abuse and pornography. The complaint states that Nichols also used an account associated with the email address "offroadjunkie@live.com."

A representative with Knox County Schools said Nichols served as a school bus driver from September 7 to October 23, 2017.

Superintendent Bob Thomas released the following statement regarding investigations involving former Knox County bus drivers:

"Since there’s an ongoing investigation, we are limited in what we can say. However, we can share our bus drivers do go through a background check before they are employed by contractors, and their performance is regularly monitored by their contractor, our transportation security officers, our transportation office and school administrators. When shortcomings are identified, they are addressed appropriately, including the strongest action available to us, which is removing the driver from the roster. Knox County Schools will not tolerate any type of unsafe activity or mistreatment of our students."

Nichols was charged with receipt and distribution of child pornography and possession of child pornography.

He waived his right to a detention and preliminary hearing during a court proceeding on October 27. Court documents say he had an arraignment hearing on November 15.