On Friday, June 20, police arrested sixth-grade teacher David R. McKeown, 47, of Holly Hill, for
possessing child pornography and possession of pornography involving animals
.
The arrest stems from an investigation that began on June 2, 2025, after police received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Detectives executed search warrants at McKeown’s residence and the school where he worked, UBIC Academy, according to the Holly Hill Police Department.
Law enforcement also obtained a search warrant for McKeown’s social media account and recovered 19 images of child sexual abuse material and six images of sexual activities involving animals.
Detectives discovered “several messages where he was communicating with other users, disseminating students’ personal information, sending their photographs, and appeared to utilize artificial intelligence (AI) to generate child pornography,” according to police.
The teacher also “manufactured animal pornography by photographing himself performing sexual acts on the family pet.”
McKeown was arrested on 19 counts of possession of child pornography and six counts of sexual activities involving animals. He is currently being held at the Volusia County Branch Jail with no bond.
Anyone with information about this or any case of child exploitation should contact Det. Corp. Kelsey Palm at 386-492-0415 or by email at [email protected].
UBIC Academy is a self-described Christian K-12 school located on Flomich Street in Holly Hill.
The school believes in “instilling in our students the character traits of Christ,” requiring students to take Bible classes, memorize scripture verses and attend daily chapel services. The academy also has an athletics department.
As of Friday afternoon, June 20, McKeown is not listed on UBIC Academy’s staff webpage.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal:
Sixth-grade teacher at UBIC Academy arrested for possession of child and animal porn
