TULSA, OKLA. — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Oklahoma, Northern), published as received.

TULSA, Okla. – A teacher who lives in Tulsa and worked at the Tulsa Honor Academy and Dove Science Academy was arrested today and charged with Receipt of Child Pornography and Possession of or Access with Intent to View Child Pornography. 

In February 2026, the Tulsa Police Department received a report regarding allegations of a lewd or indecent proposal by Zachary Christian Speegle, 32, towards a student at the Tulsa Honor Academy. Court documents show that Speegle was employed as a teacher at the Tulsa Honor Academy. Allegedly, Speegle befriended a new student at school and pressured the minor child to provide their phone number and requested nude photographs, but the minor child declined.

The Tulsa Police Department served a residential search warrant at Speegle’s home and collected several electronic devices. Court documents show that during the initial review of Speegle’s devices, officers found more than 8,000 files with recognizable child sexual abuse material, also known as child pornography. The images include prepubescent children, toddlers, and infants being sexually abused. Additionally, officers found more than 6,000 files of child erotica and age-difficult sexual abuse material. 

Court documents show that prosecutors are requesting that Speegle be held because he is a danger to others in the community. Although there are no minor children living with Speegle, one image provided to the court shows that during the search of Speegle’s home, officers found children’s panties belonging to four and six-year-olds that Speegle stole from a friend's home. 

A second screenshot provided to the court shows a text message conversation between Speegle and a minor child. Speegle told the child, “I would literally rob 10 banks and kill 100 people to get [MV] back.”

A 2012 report to Congress about child pornography offenses defines child erotica as legal images or stories that are about children and of a sexual nature. Images may be overtly sexual and show children in inappropriate clothing or positions, or use of the image or video in an inappropriate manner. For example, some child pedophiles use catalog images of children in bathing suit advertisements for child erotica purposes. 

State court dockets show that Speegle was charged in state court and arrested in March 2026 for lewd molestation/indecent proposal to a child and aggravated possession of child sexual abuse material. Speegle was allowed to post bond. 

Speegle will be held until his detention hearing, which is set for a later date. 

The Tulsa Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations are investigating the case with assistance from Tulsa Public Schools. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Augustus Forster and Stephanie Ihler are prosecuting the case. 

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, local, and tribal resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.