MONROE — A support staff worker at Monroe High School has pleaded not guilty to sex assault charges against him in Green County Circuit Court.

Andrew Swanston, 32, was arrested June 12 for First Degree Child Sexual Assault-Intercourse with Person Under 12, and First-Degree Child Sexual Contact or Intercourse with a Person/Child Under 13, both Class “B” felonies. 

The not guilty pleas were entered on Swanston’s behalf during arraignment on the charges on Thursday, July 27, before Circuit Judge Faun Phillipson. Swanston was employed in the district since November 2021 as a Special Education Support staffer in the high school, officials said, adding that he no longer works there.

His next appearance is scheduled for September, 5. Swanston’s case is one of an alarming number of child sexual assault cases currently winding through the local circuit court system. 

They include:

●  Israel Galindo, 41, who is charged with 1st Degree Child Sex Assault — Sexual Contact or Sexual Intercourse w/ Person under Age of 13. Galdino pleaded not guilty on July 25 and has a future court hearing scheduled for Aug 15.

●  Kyler Wilkinson, 19, charged with two counts of child sexual exploitation and one count of possession of child pornography. He is scheduled to appear in court again on the charges Aug 31. He was arrested on the original charges on Oct. 14, 2021. The suspect was caught sharing and downloading the images online and through SnapChat on his phone and other devices. His next court appearance is set for Aug. 31

●  Dalton Cash Lehr, 20, who is charged with 1st Degree Child Sex Assault — Sexual Contact or Sexual Intercourse w/ Person under Age of 13, exposing genitals to the public and child enticement. His next appearance is set for Aug. 25.

District attorney Craig Nolen said he attributes the number of such cases visible to the public in part on the “me too” movement in recent years; and the sheer number of people who are willing to come forward about the crimes — more so than in the past. 

“The fact is that I can’t say that these offenses were not happening as much in the past, but rather society has changed to the point where victims are now being educated about appropriate interactions and are then feeling supported not only by law enforcement and the justice system, but also by society at large,” Nolen said via email.

Child exploitation cases on the Internet may have increased due to both the availability of technology for viewing child pornography, but also in technical ability. Authorities now can track, trace and in some cases, entice child sex offenders for prosecution, officials say.

“Every day there is more and more child pornography being produced; however, many internet companies are cooperating with law enforcement to combat the distribution of such recordings,” he said. “The internet companies are regularly scouring their systems looking for known child pornography by … looking for particular metadata.”

Technology also allows more Internet companies to develop vast databases of offenders who can then be flagged and identified in the future. Many police departments have officers who work on child pornography cases, including those who set up accounts to elaborately ensnare potential predators.

“Unfortunately for the victims of these crimes, these recordings are easily stored and transmitted, which makes it even easier for additional individuals to possess those recordings,” said Nolen.  

First Degree Child Sexual Assault-Intercourse with Person Under 12 is a Class B felony, punishable of a maximum sentence of up to 66 years in prison.