Grand jury indicts Valdese teacher, Morganton man on child sex crime charges

A grand jury indicted two Burke County men, Joshua Adam Bullard, 29, of Morganton, and former Valdese Elementary School teacher Michael John Daigler, 63, of Connelly Springs, on felony sex offense charges against children on Monday.

Grand jury indictments do not mean judgements of guilt. They are a step in the court process that allows prosecution to move forward on felony cases.

Neither of the two men have superior court dates set as of Thursday, Feb. 26.

THE TEACHER

Daigler confessed, in November, to using social media platforms to send and receive inappropriate images and other files from about 50 juveniles.

He was charged with two counts of dissemination of obscene material to a minor under the age of 16 following the execution of a search warrant.

The Jan. 5 search warrant explained that a minor in Valdese recognized his little sister’s teacher on Grindr. The minor’s mother created a fake account in an attempt to catch her boyfriend using the LGBTQ+ location-based social and dating app.

When the 13-year-old boy grew concerned over Daigler’s bio — particularly the teacher’s insinuated interest in younger partners — he created a fake Snapchat and added Daigler.

Within minutes, the minor conversed with Daigler, who prompted him to create a Discord account, where the language and content escalated into sexual discussion before the two exchanged images.

Daigler sent photos of an adult man in underwear, although the face could not be seen in the image, according to the search warrant. The minor responded with separate stock photos that he found online portraying a clothed teenager and explicit adult imagery.

Daigler promptly stopped corresponding.

The next day, Nov. 9, the minor’s mother took him to the police department after he told her about what he had done.

In conjunction with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), Valdese Police Chief Marc Sharpe interviewed Daigler on Nov. 10. He confessed to corresponding with approximately 50 juveniles, obtaining and exchanging sexually explicit material.

Daigler told police he never met any of the minors offline for sex.

Sharpe contacted Burke County Public Schools, who suspended Daigler on Nov. 10 with pay, pending investigation. The school district suspended him without pay on Dec. 17, and Superintendent Dr. Mike Swan recommended him for termination.

BCPS Public Resources Officer Cheryl Shuffler confirmed the BCPS Board of Education terminated Daigler on Feb. 9.

JOSHUA ADAM BULLARD

Arrested on Jan. 5, Bullard faces two felony counts of indecent liberties with an 8-year-old, according to the court. Per the court documents, the offense date on the indictment occurred Oct. 31, 2025.

After inclement weather delayed the grand jury in January, Bullard appeared in court on Feb. 5. His lawyer, Charles Bostian, requested a bond be set and stated that he had not received discovery yet.

Discovery is a pre-trial exchange of evidence. During this period, the prosecutor and defense review law enforcement reports, witnesses, and any evidence that will affect the trial.

Both Bullard and Daigler are still behind bars, awaiting their day in Superior Court.