By Shereen Siewert
A Wisconsin school superintendent facing sex trafficking and other charges also maintained a parenting blog associated Facebook page and Instagram page that offered child-rearing advice and focused on the suspect’s “transformation as a parent,” Wausau Pilot & Review has learned.
Altoona School Superintendent Daniel Peggs, 32, was arrested Thursday in Altoona after being indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of sex trafficking of a minor and production of child pornography.
Peggs’ wife, who has not been charged with a crime, co-authors the site with her husband.
According to the indictment, which was unsealed Thursday, Feb. 20, Peggs “knowingly recruited, enticed, harbored, transported, and maintained” a girl younger than 18 and caused her to engage in a commercial sex act.
The indictment alleges that from October 2015 through May 2016, Peggs “knowingly recruited, enticed, harbored, transported and maintained” a girl younger than 18 to engage in a commercial sex act. The indictment also alleges that in December 2015, Peggs used the minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct and used an iPhone to produce a video of the child pornography.
The actual age of the victim has not been released.
Peggs was named superintendent in Altoona in February 2019. He was employed by the Gilman School District during the period in which the alleged crimes took place.
During an arraignment Feb. 20, Peggs pleaded not guilty to the charges. He is currently in custody and has a detention hearing Feb. 24.
