Oregon principal put on leave over Charlie Kirk remarks sentenced to prison in child sex images case

A former Oregon high school principal who was placed on administrative leave following controversial remarks about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has been sentenced to more than five years in prison after pleading guilty to possessing child sexual abuse material.

Jeremy Peter Williams, 50, of Longview, Washington, received a sentence of 61 months of confinement from Cowlitz County Superior Court Judge Thad Scudder. Williams, who served as principal of Rainier Junior/Senior High School in Oregon, had previously entered a guilty plea to three charges involving possession of sexually explicit images of minors, according to The Daily News, a local newspaper out of Longview, Washington. In addition to his prison term, Judge Scudder ordered Williams to register as a sex offender and pay $3,000 in court fees. He must also serve 36 months of community custody once released from prison. 

Williams had been principal of the school since 2022, according to school board minutes, earning $99,500 annually before cashing out his retirement in November. Before that, he was a teacher in the Rainier School District for 13 years. 

The case began well before the criminal charges. Rainier School District Superintendent Chad Holloway confirmed Williams’ leave in a letter to the community on Sept. 17, 2025, writing that “Mr. Williams was placed on administrative leave regarding comments made surrounding the recent assassination of Charlie Kirk,” according to OregonLive. Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, was assassinated while speaking at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, 2025.

The investigation began after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children issued multiple referrals in August, flagging accounts linked to Williams on platforms that were trafficking child sexual abuse material. Detectives executed a search warrant at his Longview home, seizing phones, computers, and digital devices. 

Williams told investigators that he used his social media accounts to engage in “age-based” sexual role play and that he received and sent child sexual abuse material during those conversations, according to court documents. He told authorities he sought communities online to make connections through writing erotic short stories featuring children, which eventually led to sharing explicit images of juveniles, according to the pre-sentencing investigation report. 

Williams gave a softly spoken short apology during his sentencing hearing. He originally faced 13 charges but, as part of a plea deal with prosecutors, pleaded guilty to three counts of possession of depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Following Williams’ arrest, Mr. Holloway sent a second letter to the community describing “very disturbing” developments. He emphasized that the district was working closely with law enforcement and taking steps to support students, including making counselors available and allowing early dismissal for families who felt it was needed. 

Cowlitz County Chief Criminal Deputy Troy Brightbill said authorities found no evidence that any students from Williams’ school were involved in the material. 

Williams’ case drew attention in the context of broader national controversy after Kirk’s assassination, during which multiple individuals, including MSNBC political analyst Matthew Dowd and Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah, were terminated from their positions for remarks they made online.