A federal indictment unsealed Wednesday against William Michael Haslach alleges the former east metro schools employee secretly took photos of students and produced AI-generated depictions of them engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
Haslach, 30, of Maplewood, was a lunch monitor and traffic guard for the North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale School District from August 2021 until January 2025. He worked as a paraprofessional and later as a youth summer programs assistant for Stillwater Area Public Schools from February 2021 through August 2024, according to Tuesday’s indictment.
William Michael Haslach (Courtesy of the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office)
Haslach was arrested Jan. 17 and charged four days later in Ramsey County District Court with 10 counts of possessing child pornography of minors under age 14. The state charges do not allege that he knew some of the victims, as the 11-count indictment does.
Haslach also was not previously linked to Stillwater Area Public Schools.
The indictment says Haslach used his access to children to take non-explicit photos of children in his care, then used the images to produce AI photos of the minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
Haslach also possessed and received child pornography involving children that were abused by others, according to the indictment.
Investigators believe there may be other victims relevant to the investigation. They are urging parents of children who had been in close contact with Haslach, or are aware of him taking a photo of their child, to call the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension’s tip line at 651-793-2465 or email bca.tips@state.mn.us.
“Prosecuting the predators who walk amongst us — in our neighborhoods, our communities, and particularly in our schools — will always be the top priority in the District of Minnesota,” Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick said in a Wednesday statement. “My thoughts are with the many Minnesota parents who will be horrified to learn how Haslach used AI advances to victimize schoolchildren in his care. Rest assured, my office will prosecute this case to the fullest extent of the law.”
The indictment charges Haslach with five counts of receipt of child pornography, five counts of possession of child pornography and one count of production of an obscene visual representation of child sexual abuse.
Haslach made an initial appearance Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis before Judge Tony Leung. He was ordered to remain in custody pending a formal detention hearing on March 3 before Judge Douglas Micko.
State charges
The state charges say a cyber tip from the Internet Crimes Against Children Unit at the BCA led to a search of Haslach’s Maplewood home, where officers recovered multiple USB drives and devices that a preliminary forensic examination showed contained approximately 800 files of child pornography.
Haslach admitted in an interview with detectives that he has a sexual attraction to children, the complaint says. He said he acquired child pornography from people he met on Telegram, Teleguard and BlueSky, and denied that he has ever had sexual contact with a child.
A search warrant turned up multiple Dropbox files of child pornography, including the 10 videos prosecutors used to file charges. They involve prepubescent females and boys being sexually abused by adults, the complaint says.
The North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale School District told the Pioneer Press in January that Haslach was put on leave from his job at Cowern and Richardson elementary schools and North High after the allegations surfaced. A district spokeswoman said Wednesday that his last day of employment was Jan. 22, which was a day after he was charged in Ramsey County District Court.
The district informed families of the federal charges on Wednesday, saying: “We understand the gravity of these charges and remain committed to maintaining a safe and supportive environment for our students.”
Stillwater Area Public Schools told families on Wednesday that Haslach had worked as an assistant for the district’s Adventure Club school-age care summer program.
“We have been cooperating fully with law enforcement in their investigation and will continue to do so as the process unfolds,” the district said.
The federal case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, go to www.justice.gov/psc.
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