Local teacher pleads guilty to child porn charges

URBANA — A local teacher is facing prison time after pleading guilty to possessing child pornography.

Mklaine Austin Eggleston-Righter, 26, pleaded guilty on Monday to two counts of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor or impaired person and one count of possessing criminal tools.

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The charges came after the Urbana Police Department received a report from the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) in May about two files of suspected child pornography involving two unidentified teenage girls.

The ICAC was able to link the uploaded files back to a particular IP address and email address, which was eventually traced back to Eggleston-Righter, according to Urbana Police Chief Matt Lingrell.

The 26-year-old will appear in court later this month for his sentencing. Along with any potential prison time, Eggleston-Righter will also have to register as a Tier II sex offender.

Eggleston-Righter has been released from jail on a personal recognizance bond before his sentencing.

Eggleston-Righter was hired as an elementary school gym teacher by Tecumseh Local Schools in January 2024. In April, he started to not show up to work, stating he had a family emergency, according to Superintendent Paula Crew.

He was placed on administrative leave on May 17, when the district became aware of the investigation into the alleged actions. He then resigned on May 30.

In a statement sent to district families, Crew said police don’t suspect misconduct within their district. Still, the district conducted an internal investigation.

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“We are adamant that our students have the opportunity to come to school in a safe environment and proactive protocols are in place to ensure a safe environment for our students. If we glean any information, such as we did in this situation, that may threaten the safety of our students, immediate action is and will be taken,” Crew said.

Eggleston-Righter was also an assistant high school boy’s tennis coach at Urbana City Schools, which is an approved volunteer position. The district found out about the charges after the tennis season was over, according to Superintendent Charles Thiel.

“These types of volunteers are approved on an annual basis so he is no longer associated with the District,” Thiel said.

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