LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A Louisville Catholic grade school teacher, Jordan Fautz, has been arrested and charged with using students’ pictures to create child pornography. Following his arrest, a lawsuit has been filed against the archdiocese, alleging that signs of Fautz’s inappropriate behavior were possibly ignored by the school and Archdiocese.
Fautz, who taught seventh and eighth-grade religion at St. Stephen Martyr Catholic School, is accused of using students’ photos to create and distribute child pornography between March 2022 and February 2024. The lawsuit, filed by 11 parents and students on March 7, claims that Fautz’s mother, who was the school’s business manager, oversaw the vetting and approving of employees when Fautz was hired. It further states that the school allowed Fautz to take pictures of students and put him in charge of recording school masses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to investigators, Fautz manipulated non-explicit pictures of students and placed them onto nude bodies. Some of these manipulated photos were taken from yearbooks. The lawsuit also alleges that Fautz had a secluded office with a private staircase and automatic lock, giving him access to all areas of the school. Moreover, Fautz had a “homemade” computer and refused a new one purchased with COVID-19 grant money. Court records revealed that he was using his computer to distribute child pornography when he was arrested.
Not only did Fautz allegedly crawl social media accounts to obtain pictures of targeted students, but the lawsuit claims that he had a history of violent outbursts towards students. He was accused of throwing chairs in the classroom and using derogatory language towards them, including threats. The lawsuit also mentions instances in which Fautz displayed concerning behavior, such as showing students a recording of an exorcism on YouTube and stating that he was an atheist.
Prior to his alleged crimes, Fautz invited a student to watch a movie at the school after hours without parental permission, and parents complained but no action was taken. The lawsuit describes another incident in which Fautz drove a student home without parental permission, again with no consequences from the school. The suit then goes on to detail an inappropriate relationship Fautz had with a student, which led to “parameters” being placed on the student to not have any contact with Fautz.
Fautz was indicted by a grand jury on February 21 and is facing charges that include distributing and possessing child pornography. If convicted, he could be sentenced up to 120 years in prison. The lawsuit seeks damages and a trial by jury. The Archdiocese of Louisville has not yet responded to requests for comment. The FBI is still investigating the case to identify potential victims.
Additionally, victims or parents of victims have the option to request assistance in removing explicit content from the internet through a service called “Take It Down.”