Somerset County elementary school teacher charged with child sexual abuse material offenses
SOMERVILLE, N.J. (Somerset County) — A Peapack man employed as an elementary school teacher in Branchburg Township has been charged with distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material, Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald announced.
Kenneth Vaughn, 35, was identified after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children flagged files shared on a social media and messaging platform, officials said. The New Jersey State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force referred the Cyber Tipline report to the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office, which launched an investigation through its Special Investigations Unit.
Detectives determined Vaughn was allegedly responsible for distributing and possessing the files, McDonald said. On Aug. 26, investigators from the prosecutor’s office and Somerville Police executed a Superior Court search warrant at Vaughn’s residence and vehicle, seizing electronic devices for forensic analysis.
That same day, Vaughn was arrested without incident, processed, and charged with second-degree distribution of child sexual abuse materials and third-degree possession of child sexual abuse materials. He was lodged in the Somerset County Jail before being released pending a future court appearance.
Prosecutor McDonald confirmed Vaughn was working as an elementary school teacher in Branchburg at the time of his arrest. The investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Special Investigations Unit at 908-231-7100, the Somerville Police Department at 908-725-0331, or submit anonymous tips through the STOPit app or the Somerset County Crime Stoppers tip line at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477).
