Former elementary art teacher sentenced for CSAM possession by Hays County judge

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A Hays County judge sentenced a 54-year-old man to 71 years in prison on Thursday, after a jury convicted him of multiple counts of possession of child sexual abuse material, or CSAM, according to a press release from Hays County District Attorney Kelly Higgins.

The jury found defendant Kevin Abeyta guilty of continuous sexual abuse of a child, six counts of possession of child pornography with intent to promote and 13 counts of possession of child pornography, the release said.

The Hays County Sheriff’s Office started its investigation in the former teacher in February 2021 after it received a tip from a minor who the release said was not a student of Abeyta's. According to the DA's Office, investigators traveled to Atlanta, where Abeyta worked as an elementary school art teacher.

The release identifies Abeyta as a "former Travis County educator" who worked at Campbell Elementary School; however, the release doesn't specify if he worked at the Campbell Elementary in Austin, or at a school with the same name in Atlanta.

KXAN asked the Hays District Attorney for clarification -- it confirmed that Abeyta worked at the Austin school.

"Several days after Abeyta was interviewed by law enforcement, he gave several hard drives to a friend who subsequently found child sexual abuse material on them. The friend notified authorities, and the hard drives were collected and investigated," the release said.

Investigators searched the hard drives and found "more than a thousand media files" that had CSAM. The release also said that Abeyta had "secretly filmed at least one young child under her desk."

“We’d like to thank the investigators at Hays County Sheriff’s Office, the witnesses who testified in this case, Abeyta’s acquaintance for notifying the police about the incriminating evidence he found and the brave survivor who stood up to her offender,” said Hays County Assistant District Attorneys Katie Arnold in the release. “Without the bravery of each witness, this man might still be in a classroom putting young children at risk.”