PASCO (WA)
ChurchLeaders [Colorado Springs CO]
April 14, 2026
By Dale Chamberlain
A pastor and school employee in Washington state has been arrested under suspicion of possessing child sex abuse material, including AI-generated content. Kevin Johnson, 54, had been serving as a pastor at Impact Church in Pasco and as a paraeducator at Cottonwood Elementary School in Kennewick.
Editor’s note: This article contains information about child sex abuse that some readers might find disturbing and/or triggering.
Investigators have identified at least two victims.
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According to a Richland Police Department press release, an investigation began when the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) received a report that CSAM had been “uploaded to an online platform.”
Investigators determined that the images were created using generative AI. The images were altered versions of pictures depicting a real child, who was between the ages of 7-12. The images were linked to an account belonging to Johnson. Police also said that Johnson was in possession of other CSAM.
On April 6, Johnson was taken into custody while at Cottonwood Elementary School.
Johnson is accused of using photos of a child from social media and using AI to turn them into CSAM.
In court, prosecutors said, “Law enforcement is still working on processing through the defendant’s devices, but as of this time have identified an additional victim of which the defendant had generated AI child sexual abuse material.”
Johnson has been charged with four felony counts of possession of depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. He has pleaded not guilty.
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Johnson remains in custody. Bail has been set at $250,000. Prosecutors sought a high bail amount in light of the nature of Johnson’s alleged crimes.
“The state is very concerned about his employment, seemingly choosing employment that gives him access to children,” said Deputy Prosecutor Chelsea Parker.
Johnson’s trial is set to begin on June 8.
In a statement released to a local NBC affiliate, Kennewick School District said, “The safety of our students is our highest priority.”
“Yesterday morning, a Kennewick School District employee was taken into custody without incident by federal law enforcement outside a school building, and students remained safe,” the statement said. “The principal contacted families of students in the directly affected classroom, and law enforcement has shared there is no information indicating any crimes involved students or occurred on school grounds.”
“The employee has been placed on leave and removed from all school duties,” the statement added. “We appreciate the partnership and cooperation with law enforcement and will continue to work closely with them as the investigation continues.”
Impact Church does not appear to have an operational website or publicly listed phone number. ChurchLeaders has reached out to the church for comment via private message on social media and will update this article in the event of a response.