AKRON, Ohio — A former Medina High School social studies teacher has been sentenced to more than six years in federal prison after admitting to a charge of receiving child pornography.
Kevin Hedrick, of New Franklin, received his punishment Thursday following an August plea agreement with prosecutors. Jdge Sara Elizabeth Lioi, chief judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, sentenced Hedrick to 74 months behind bars, with credit for time served since his initial arrest back in January.
Hedrick was originally placed on leave from Medina in October of 2022 after the FBI began investigating him. Agents claimed to have went undercover to speak with Hedrick on the social media site Kik Messanger, where using an alias he believed he was talking to an adult woman while attempting to meet her 14 -year-old daughter for sex.
Authorities were able to match images sent to them from the account with pictures of Hedrick, and discovered he had engaged in at least some of the graphic conversations while on the Medina schools Wi-Fi. Once the bureau gained access to his Kik account, they discovered hundreds of videos and images involving children in a "sexually explicit nature," including at least one video of a girl as young as 7 years old.
As part of the terms of the plea deal, prosecutors dropped two other charges against Hedrick, including one for alleged coercion and enticement of a minor. Upon his release from prison, he will also be on probation for 10 years.