Rockwall County judge sentences former Mesquite ISD teacher to 30 years for child pornography

ROCKWALL COUNTY, TX (Aug. 28, 2026) Rockwall County District Court Judge Brett Hall has sentenced Chad Beery, a former Mesquite ISD high school teacher, to 30 years in a Texas prison for Possession of Child Pornography following successful indictment and prosecution from the Rockwall County District Attorney’s Office.

The investigation against the former high school teacher began when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) submitted a tip to the North Texas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force indicating that Beery had shared files containing child pornography with other users through a social media messaging platform.

In November of 2025, Rockwall Police Detective Michael Manuel took over the investigation and ultimately arrested Beery and seized numerous electronic devices from Beery’s home.  A forensic analysis of these devices uncovered additional illegal and disturbing images as well as conversations exchanged between Beery and other online predators. While Beery was initially charged with multiple lesser counts, prosecutors elected to indict Beery with the enhanced first-degree felony offense of Possession of Child Pornography Depicting the Sexual Assault of a Child Under the Age of 10, to which Beery ultimately pleaded guilty.

“Chad Beery violated the trust our community places in its educators. I am thankful for the tireless and collaborative work of the Rockwall Police Department, NCMEC and the North Texas ICAC Task Force that helped to identify and put a predator like Beery away,” said Rockwall County Assistant District Attorney Jacob Piper.

“NCMEC is an incredible tool that allows law enforcement to identify these online predators,” said Rockwall County District Attorney Kenda Culpepper.  “These criminals hide in the shadows and take sick advantage of our most vulnerable victims.  We will continue to prosecute these offenders with the most serious offenses available.”

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