What did Sebastian Baraldi do? Charges explored as Klein ISD teacher arrested in child p*rn investigation

A Klein Oak High School teacher, 55-year-old Sebastian Baraldiwas arrested on February 7, 2024. He was arrested over allegedly accessing p*rnographic images of minors between the ages of 5-12 online, ABC 13 reported.

Trigger warning: This article may contain details or mentions of child s*xual assault and child p*rn. Discretion is advised.

Baraldi was reportedly arrested early Wednesday at his home in The Woodlands following a month-long investigation. The investigation was launched after receiving a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

Authorities said Baraldi, who was charged with five counts of felony possession of child pornography, was reportedly taken to the Montgomery County Jail. Sebastian, whose LinkedIn profile states that he has been working with the school for the last 17 years, is currently being held there on a $250,000 bond.

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Klein ISD teacher Sebastian Baraldi was dismissed from his job shortly after his arrest

Authorities began investigating Sebastian Baraldi in January 2024 after receiving an online tip from NCMEC. The tip claimed that several child s*xual assault images involving minors between the ages of 5 and 12 were uploaded to a device online.

Further investigation reportedly led them to the Klein Oak High School teacher and they showed up at his home with a search warrant on Wednesday morning. According to KHOU, when authorities issued the search warrant, Baraldi gave them a letter from an attorney, dated August 2023.

The letter was dated three days after Baraldi was flagged on Google for sharing inappropriate images of children online. During a search of his home, investigators reportedly recovered incriminating evidence on his hard drive. They also found a folder titled "School Art Project" that contained several p*rnographic images of children.

Shortly after Sebastian Baraldi was arrested, Klein ISD issued a statement saying they had terminated his employment. As mentioned earlier, he had been working with the school for nearly 17 years.

The statement said the school was made aware of Baraldi’s arrest on Wednesday morning and assured students and teachers he would not be returning as an employee.

"Law enforcement notified us that teacher Sebastian Baraldi was arrested at his home for felony charges of accessing inappropriate images of minors online. As soon as we were notified of this information, the district took immediate action, and he will not return to Klein Oak or any Klein ISD school until we learn the outcome of the ongoing investigation being conducted by law enforcement.” The statement noted.

The school also reassured parents the safety of the students was their top priority and would take every step to protect them from predators.

"We understand that this news is unsettling and are committed to transparently dealing with this situation. Our highest priority is the safety of our students, and we will continue to take all necessary steps to protect them. If the allegations prove true, we encourage the criminal justice system to take every appropriate action.” They continued.

The school also urged parents and students to report any pertinent information to Klein ISD police at (832) 249-4266 or Klein Oak at (832) 484-5101.