A fourth-grade teacher from the McMinnville Elementary School in Oregon has been arrested and charged with two counts of attempted rape of a child in Redmond, Washington. Andrew Bert Hammond, a 50-year-old male, was arrested during an undercover operation.
According to the City of Redmond, Hammond was arrested as part of an undercover operation where law enforcement used decoy profiles on location-based social networking and dating apps. The fourth-grade teacher has been charged with four counts of communication with a minor for immoral purposes, second-degree attempted rape of a child, and third-degree attempted rape of a child. Bail has been set at $100,000 while Hammond remains in the King County Correctional Facility.
According to the statement, law enforcement began interacting with Hammond in October. Detectives posed as teenage girls and had interactions with Hammond, who wanted to meet with who he thought underage girls. “After months of sexually motivated communications, Hammond proposed meeting with the minors at a hotel in Redmond on March 25 to engage in sexual activity. Hammond was arrested after checking into his hotel room,” the city’s report stated.
Redmond police later executed a search warrant and located additional evidence indicating the Oregon teacher was planning to engage in sexual acts with the minors, including condoms and lubricant. Additionally, police recovered handcuffs and a roll of duct tape from the Oregon teacher.
“I’m proud of our officers and detectives for their dedication to such an important initiative in keeping our children safe,” said Redmond Police Chief Darrell Lowe. “Any time we can take child predators off the streets for such egregious crimes against children is a win for our community. The important message for parents is to monitor your children’s activities on their phones and computers.”
McMinnville Principal Erika Nesvig issued a statement following Hammond’s arrest. “I want you to know that we have no information about any illegal activity occurring at Newby or in McMinnville,” Nesvig said. “We are cooperating fully with law enforcement, and Mr. Hammond is on administrative leave.”
Nesvig told district parents that Hammond had passed all necessary background checks and that the school had received no indicators that would have alerted them to his criminal activity. Nesvig stated that she knows “this is upsetting news,” and said that the “school stands ready to provide support to your children as we work through this difficult situation.”
The Post Millennial revealed that Hammond had posted in support of Black Lives Matter during the George Floyd riots in June 2020. The pedophile teacher participated in BLM’s social media “blackout” and offered instructions to “allies” on how to participate.
