HAYS COUNTY, Texas — Editor's note: The above video was published in August 2020, when Tyler Townsend was first arrested.
A former Hays CISD assistant band director has been sentenced to 30 years in prison on charges of possession of child pornography and invasive visual recording.
Tyler Townsend, the former assistant band director at Dahlstrom Middle School in Buda, was arrested in August 2020. He was accused of possessing child pornography and taking videos of students who didn't know they were being recorded.
KVUE previously reported that Kyle police searched Townsend's home in Buda and found several electronic devices. They discovered invasive visual recordings that were not pornographic but showed female students who were possibly at school on Townsend's cellphone.
According to a report from the Hays Free Press, investigators found more than 200 illegal images on Townsend's laptops and phone. Locations where the photos were taken included the Dahlstrom band hall, private band practice and the school's track and field area, as well as Hays High School and Schlitterbahn in New Braunfels.
Hays CISD initially placed Townsend on administrative leave, but he resigned a few days later. He had worked at Dahlstrom Middle School for five years.
On July 25, 2023, 33-year-old Townsend pleaded guilty to 10 counts of child pornography, a third-degree felony, and seven counts of invasive visual recording, a state jail felony, according to Hays County court records.
The court records also show that 10 additional charges of possession of child pornography were dismissed.