School Employee In Basking Ridge Uploaded Child Porn: Prosecutor

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — An employee at a school for students with special needs in Basking Ridge was arrested for possessing child pornography after a tip from a national database, the Morris County Prosecutor said.

Richard Kattermann, 31, of Jefferson, was charged with third-degree endangering the welfare of a child.

Officials said that during the investigation, Kattermann was employed at Montgomery Academy, a school serving students from age 5 to 21, located in Basking Ridge.

School officials did not respond to Patch's request for comment Friday.

This investigation began with a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), said Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll and other law enforcement officials.

The tip referenced a media file "allegedly depicting the sexual exploitation or abuse of minors" which Kattermann is accused of uploading to the chat app Discord, officials said.

Authorities also accuse him of possessing additional items of child pornography.

Kattermann was arrested on Feb. 8. He was later released under pretrial conditions that include supervision and internet monitoring.

The Jefferson Township Police Department, Bernards Township Police Department, and Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force helped with the investigation.

Anyone with additional information about this investigation is asked to call the MCPO Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, part of the Sex Crimes / Child Endangerment Unit, at 973-285-6200.