'TheOneYouLeftBehind': Former teacher convicted, students slandered

SANDERSVILLE, GA. (WRDW/WAGT) – A former Washington County High School teacher has been convicted of catfishing her students and uploading sexually explicit content to social media, according to the United States Department of Justice.

Michael Allen Dendy, 33, of Milledgeville, was sentenced Thursday to 400 months in prison, followed by ten years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Marc Treadwell.

According to authorities, Dendy was a teacher from August 2020 until his arrest on January 20, 2023.

“We are committed to holding individuals like Michael Allen Dendy accountable to the fullest extent of the law for their brutal prey on teenagers, where we trick minors into sending him sexually explicit images and upload them to the internet for other predators to see,” said U.S. Attorney Peter. D. Leary. “I am grateful to our law enforcement partners who are committed to protecting the innocent and bringing child predators to justice.”

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Dendy will be required to register as a child sex offender, according to the news release. Dendy previously pleaded guilty on July 30 to one count of producing child pornography and one count of distributing child pornography.

“Michael Allen Dendy will no longer be able to prey on children and will be an old man when he gets out of prison,” said Washington County Sheriff Joel Cochran. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to protecting our children and ensuring that those who prey on them are held accountable. I express my heartfelt gratitude to all law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and support staff who worked tirelessly on this case. “Your dedication and hard work has made our community safer and moved us closer to justice for victims.”

According to court documents and affidavits, the sheriff’s office received multiple complaints of child pornography posted on Discord in December 2022.

The statement informed lawmakers that images of several high school students were posted under “WACO Confessions” without their knowledge or consent. Investigation revealed that the page was created by Dendy under the username “TheOneYouLeftBehind”.

The statement states that the IP address most frequently used to access the account was traced to Dendy’s home.

Dendy admitted to obtaining nude photographs of individuals, specifically underage students at Washington County High School. He confirmed that he would contact students using fake Instagram accounts (posing as a young man and young woman) and that he had never met any of the students in person.

Dendy also admitted to creating the “WACO Confessions,” according to the statement. Dendy said he started his catfishing plan in 2016 while living in Mississippi and continued while living in Maryland and Georgia. Dendy said that even though he knew what he was doing was wrong, he couldn’t stop.

Dendy previously taught at three schools: Griffin High School in Griffin, Georgia, from 2018-2020; Between 2017 and 2018, he worked at St. Louis in Waldorf, Maryland. Charles High School; and Starkville High School in Starkville, Mississippi, from 2014-2016.

Parents and guardians of children who may have encountered Dendy and have concerns can contact the Homeland Security Investigations tip line at 1-866-347-2423.

A search warrant executed at Dendy’s home recovered numerous electronic devices containing CSAM and chat conversations between Dendy and several identified victims.

Authorities said that between Jan. 1, 2023, and Jan. 31, 2023, Dendy persuaded a 16-year-old boy to engage in sexually explicit conduct, filming the conduct and sharing it on social media.

In a separate incident, on December 11, 2022, Dendy uploaded a video to “WACO Confessions” showing a minor between the ages of 14 and 15 engaging in sexually explicit conduct, the statement states.

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