WASHINGTON — A music instructor who volunteered for two Manassas City schools faces a federal charge of producing child pornography after investigators say he portrayed himself as a teen girl to obtain naked images of boys from messaging service users, including a local middle school student.
David A. Battle, 23, of Manassas, was formally charged Aug. 6 and he made his initial appearance in federal court last week, according to the U.S. district attorney’s office.
Battle told investigators that he was a woodwind instructor for Osbourn High School and that he also taught music at Metz Middle School, both part of Manassas City Public Schools. He also said that he worked for a private music company in the area.
The city schools says Battle was never an employee. He was a volunteer with the high school and middle school band programs from August 2014 until his arrest in June.
Investigators say they found 2 gigabytes of videos, most of which were child pornography involving infants, on Battle’s laptop, according to a federal criminal complaint.
Investigators also found more child pornography on Battle’s cellphone along with conversations with several boys ages 13 to 15 who believed they were communicating with a 13-year-old girl named Blake through a messaging service. Investigators traced the messaging service account to Battle, who used the handle “Sweettooth2001.”
“Blake” sent naked images of “herself” to the boys, asking them to send similar photos of themselves in return. Some of the boys sent intimate photos and videos, which were still on Battle’s cellphone and which investigators describe as child pornography in court documents.
One of the boys who communicated with “Blake” was a band student at Metz Middle School. But he refused to send any nude photos. The boy told investigators that he knew Battle, had given Battle his cellphone number and had traveled with the music instructor to a Busch Gardens amusement park, court records say.
Another boy who communicated with the messenger account was the younger brother of one of Battle’s longtime friends and lived in Florida, according to court records.
Manassas City police began investigating Battle working off a June 5 tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that someone, who police believe was Battle, was sharing child pornography through a video chat site, court documents say.
Battle faces 15 to 30 years in prison if convicted.
Anyone with information about Battle is asked to call Manassas detectives at 703-257-8092.
