A Texas middle school teacher and football coach has been indicted on eight federal counts related to the sexual exploitation of minors.
Court records state that Caleb Elliott, 26, worked as a sixth-grade social studies teacher and football coach at Moore Middle School in the Celina Independent School District. A federal grand jury issued the indictment on Wednesday, Nov. 12.
According to the indictment, Elliott coerced eight minors “to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct,” allegedly using the internet and digital devices in his possession.
Federal prosecutors claim the incidents took place between April 8 and Oct. 2. During that period, Elliott is accused of persuading or pressuring minors to create explicit media while knowing those files would be transmitted electronically.
In addition to the criminal charges, Elliott is a co-defendant in a civil lawsuit filed by multiple families against the school district. In one alleged incident detailed in the complaint, Elliott reportedly confiscated a student’s backpack and forced the minor to perform jumping jacks completely unclothed as punishment before returning it.
Attorney Paul Herz — who represents several affected families — said the litigation initially began with three families but has now expanded to include about a dozen. He said the alleged victims range in age from 12 to 15 and that the families’ focus is uncovering the full scope of what happened inside the school environment.
Elliott was arrested on Nov. 7 and is currently being held in Collin County on a $350,000 bond. He previously faced arrest in October on a related charge of “sexual performance of a child” but was released pending further investigation before the latest allegations surfaced.
He permanently surrendered his teaching certificate on Oct. 27, according to Texas Education Agency records.
The lawsuit also alleges that Elliott had an inappropriate relationship with a student during the 2022-2023 school year, when he coached and taught at Celina High School. Rather than removing him from student contact, the district allegedly transferred him “quietly” to Moore Middle School after learning of the reported misconduct.
Herz claims the relationship continued once the student turned 18 and later obtained a job at the same school. That individual, who remains unidentified, is not currently participating in the civil action.
If convicted on all federal counts, Elliott could face up to 30 years in prison per charge.
