Mesquite ISD coach and teacher facing child porn charges after arrest in Terrell, police say

TERRELL, Texas — A Mesquite Independent School District high school football coach and teacher has been placed on administrative leave following his arrest for allegedly possessing child pornography, officials announced Wednesday. 

John Tyler Waters, of Terrell, was taken into custody by Terrell police officers on Valentine’s Day.

According to the Terrell Police Department, in October of 2022, detectives received a tip from the National Center For Missing and Exploited Children concerning Waters being in possession of child pornography. 

Terrell Police said the investigation led to Waters’ apartment, where child pornography had been uploaded. In December 2022, police said a search warrant was executed at Waters’ apartment and electronic data storage devices were seized by detectives. 

During a forensic search of the data, police said child pornography was found and an arrest warrant was issued for Waters. 

Following his arrest, Waters was transferred to the Kaufman County Law Enforcement Center where he faces a possession of child pornography charge. 

Waters began working for Mesquite ISD as a football coach at John Horn High School and history teacher in August 2022, following his work as a substitute in the previous year, the district said in a statement Wednesday. 

The district said prior to learning of Waters’ recent arrest, school officials were “unaware of any concerns or allegations of inappropriate behavior involving Waters.” 

The district’s statement also said police informed them that “they do not believe Waters’ arrest involves the district or MISD students.”

The Terrell Police Department said that Waters didn’t have any connections to the Terrell Independent School District.