Washington state high school teacher busted for sex crimes involving young children

John Doty, a now-former science teacher at Archbishop Murphy High School (AMHS) in Everett, Washington, was arrested after law enforcement found files on his computer containing explicit child pornography.

According to court documents obtained by The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI, many of the victims were between 4 and 7 years old, with some as young as 1 year old.

The documents stated, “He said that he doesn’t find the content with kids sexually arousing and doesn’t have a sexual interest in kids, but he finds it exciting to know that he is doing something illegal,” and Doty allegedly told investigators he downloaded the abuse material as part of his "crime game."

He described downloading, watching, and distributing the child abuse materials as "very silly but still thrilling, like, 'Oops, I did a crime.'"

King County court documents allege Doty downloaded and distributed the images in 2024 from June to July. He was charged with dealing in depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct in the first degree and possession of depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct in the first degree. He is being held on $250,000 bail. His next court date is his arraignment scheduled for 8:30 am on March 10.

AMHS said in a statement that Doty was placed on administrative leave on Thursday after his arrest, and "subsequently terminated." On Monday, students and parents were notified he was no longer employed at the school. AMHS said, "The King County Sheriff’s Department notified us on Thursday that Mr. John Doty was arrested. He was immediately placed on administrative leave and then subsequently terminated."

"On Monday we informed his students and their parents that he was no longer employed at the school. Based on the information we have been provided by law enforcement, the arrest is for misconduct unrelated to his employment at Archbishop Murphy. All AMHS employees are screened using a background check and complete Safe Environment training throughout their employment. If you have any concerns about your student or their interactions with Mr. Doty, please let us know by contacting any administrator. Our counselors are also available to meet with students who may be impacted by this news. The safety of our students and children within the broader community is our top priority," AMHS added.