A former Valdese Elementary teacher confessed to using social media platforms to send and receive inappropriate images and other media files from about 50 juveniles.
That’s according to a search warrant signed on Jan. 5 and executed the following day.
Michael John Daigler, 63, of Connelly Springs, was suspended from his teaching position in November. The Valdese Police Department arrested him on Tuesday morning, Jan. 6, following the execution of a search warrant that provided the evidence necessary to bring charges.
He was charged with two counts of dissemination of obscene material to a minor under the age of 16.
A parent in Valdese originally notified the police, who initiated a joint investigation with the North Carolina Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (NCSBI). The police department also notified Burke County Public Schools (BCPS) and said the school district fully cooperated throughout the investigation.
THE SEARCH WARRANT
The parent discovered Daigler on Grindr when she created a fake account in an attempt to catch her boyfriend, who she believed could be hiding a profile, according to the search warrant. Grindr is a location-based social and dating app used by adults in the LGBTQ+ community.
The parent did not have an operational phone, so she created the account on her 13-year-old son’s device on Nov. 7. She recognized Daigler as her daughter’s teacher.
When her son learned of the account, he found the attached bio and grew concerned over the verbiage insinuating an interest in younger partners. To investigate, he created a fake Snapchat and added Daigler.
Within minutes, they were conversing, during which the minor claimed he was homeschooled, 15 years old, and lived near Hickory. After Daigler prompted the boy to create a Discord account and move the conversation there, the former teacher’s language elevated into sexual discussion before he sent images to the minor’s device.
Shortly after the minor responded with separate stock photos portraying a clothed teenager and explicit adult imagery, Daigler stopped communicating.
The parent learned of the communications and approached the Valdese Police Department on Nov. 9 with her son. Chief Marc Sharpe and NCSBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Nathan S. Anderson interviewed the parent and the minor. They also interviewed another minor who corroborated the son’s story.
On Nov. 10, they interviewed Daigler in conjunction with NCSBI Special Agent M. E. Hansen. The former teacher confessed to using social media to interact with random people, including approximately 50 juveniles, obtaining and exchanging sexually explicit material.
Daigler told police he never met any of the minors offline for sex.
Sharpe said in a January interview that he notified BCPS in November as soon as he heard the allegations.
“I could not let him go back into the school,” the chief said. Daigler was suspended with pay on Nov. 10, the school district said.
The NCSBI issued a search warrant to Discord on Nov. 18, not receiving a response until Dec. 29. The NCSBI agent who submitted the search warrant execution to the court confirmed the correspondence reported by the mother and son.
Sharpe said the delayed arrest was due to a lack of evidence until earlier this week. As soon as he had enough evidence to corroborate the allegations, he pressed the first charges.
“Unless I corroborate the evidence, I can’t charge you,” Sharpe said. “Unfortunately, this isn’t CSI that people watch on Wednesday night. … There’s due process that has to be followed.”
PARENTS RESPOND TO THE NEWS
Another parent, Alicia Griffith, said her second-grade daughter had Daigler for a guided reading class. She first learned of Daigler’s arrest on social media this week.
“I felt sick to my stomach,” Griffith said. “I was angry. I was angry that I found out on Facebook. I was angry that I hadn’t been notified by the school.”
Griffith said Daigler had been out of school since November, with no mention as to why. She explained that while she loves Valdese Elementary and understands there may be legal parameters the school has to follow, the lack of communication created concerns around her child’s safety.
“There are so many routes that they could have taken,” she said. “I feel like the moment that he got suspended, we should have been notified, ‘Hey, there was an incident at the school that we can’t really speak about right now. Talk to your children. We’re gonna be providing counselors to speak to your children.’”
“This isn’t the first time we’ve had incidents like this,” Griffith said. “Not necessarily in the same sense, but last year there was a guy threatening to shoot Drexel Elementary School. Parents found out on Facebook. … It feels like they’re sweeping these things under the rug.”
She said situations like this make her strongly consider pulling her daughter out of public schools for homeschooling. She plans to attend the Jan. 26 board meeting to bring her concerns before district leaders.
“I had to wonder if something had happened to my child,” she said. “I had to set her down and talk to her when she came home that day, knowing (the arrest) had already happened.”
SCHOOL OFFICIALS QUELL CONCERNS
“We understand that this news is unsettling and may raise many questions and emotions,” Valdese Elementary Principal Jeff Williams said in a voice message sent on Tuesday, Jan. 6, to parents with children at the school. “Our cooperation with law enforcement, along with required confidentiality related to personnel matters, limited what information we were legally able to share prior to an arrest.”
BCPS said Daigler, who was employed with BCPS since March 11, 2015, was suspended on Nov. 10 with pay, pending investigation. On Dec. 17, the district suspended him without pay and Superintendent Dr. Mike Swan recommended Daigler for termination.
His recommended termination will be considered at the next Burke County Board of Education meeting, later this month.
“Based on an internal review, the alleged victims in this case were not students at Valdese Elementary School,” Williams said. “The alleged incidents did not occur during school hours or on school grounds. Had your child been directly impacted, you would have been notified by law enforcement and Burke County Public Schools staff.”
The district reiterated that thorough background checks are conducted on all potential employees, and school officials collaborate with law enforcement if criminal allegations arise during employment.
“Our priority is the well-being and safety of our students, and we are prepared to provide support for students and staff as needed,” Swan said. “We have conducted our own internal investigation into this matter and continue to fully support law enforcement in their investigation.”
LEGAL PROGRESS
After Daigler’s arrest, the Burke County Magistrate set a $500,000 secured bond. Court officials said Daigler waived his right to a court-appointed attorney during his first court appearance on Tuesday.
As of Friday, no attorney had filed with the court to represent him.
Daigler’s next court appearance is Jan. 26, just hours before the school board meeting.
Valdese police said the investigation is ongoing and requested that anyone with additional information call them at 828-879-2101.
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