PORT EWEN, N.Y. — A custodian with the Kingston City School District was arrested on Wednesday for possessing child sexual abuse material that included toddlers, state police said on Friday.
Richard D. Wade Jr., 46, of Port Ewen, was charged with three felony counts of possessing an obscene sexual performance by a child less than 16 years of age, possess and access.
Trooper Jennifer Alvarez, a state police spokeswoman, said that Wade had been employed as a janitor with the Kingston school district, although she didn’t know at which school he worked.
In a statement Friday, the school district stated that “a district employee working as a cleaner at Chambers Elementary School was arrested on allegations of possession of child pornography.”
District officials declined to confirm that the Chambers employee was Wade Jr., saying it is an “ongoing law enforcement and confidential personal matter.”
According to the statement, the employee had worked as a custodian since 2025. The district said the employee would not be allowed back onto district property.
The investigation into Wade Jr. began earlier this month, police said, after they received a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, which resulted in a search warrant at Wade Jr.’s residence in Esopus on Wednesday.
The investigation revealed that Wade Jr. “was in possession of images and videos depicting the sexual exploitation of children, including toddler-aged victims,” police said.
“From the information that has been shared with us, at this time we have no reason to believe that any of our students were harmed,” the district stated. “Should additional information become available that impacts our school community, we will communicate accordingly.”
“The safety and well-being of our students remain our highest priority. Like all schools, we rely on established safeguards and required clearance processes when hiring employees,” the district stated. “At the time of hire, the individual successfully completed all required employment screening procedures, including reference checks and New York State-mandated clearance requirements. No information emerged through those processes that would have prevented their appointment.
Wade Jr. was issued an appearance ticket and is scheduled to appear in the Esopus Town Court.
Police said the arrest was the result of a coordinated effort involving the Troop F Computer Crimes Unit, the Troop F Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) in Highland, Troop F Child abuse Unit in Ulster County, the Troop F Community Stabilization Unit and the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force.
The New York State Police are asking anyone with information regarding Wade Jr. or this investigation to contact the Troop F Computer Crimes Unit at (845) 344-5300.