Elementary School Janitor Accused Of Raping Adopted Daughter

An elementary school janitor out of Minnesota has been arrested for crimes against his own adopted daughter. The Dreamin’ Demon reports that 54-year-old Brian Cleveland faces charges of raping his 12-year-old adoptive daughter, but that’s not the only detail in this developing story.

CBS News reports that Cleveland is an employee at Washington County Elementary School, and he has not yet been fired. However, he is not currently assigned to work amid accusations of rape. Furthermore, he is accused of possessing child pornography, of which he has been charged with at least five counts.

The arrest came after authorities interviewed the 12-year-old adopted daughter of the elementary school janitor. The girl reportedly told authorities that she had a “bad secret.” She revealed that Cleveland had been sexually assaulting her for two years — starting when she was 10-years-old. However, the child also became upset after telling authorities what her adoptive father had allegedly done. She expressed fear that she would lose another family, after she was taken from one family and given to Cleveland’s.

When Cleveland was arrested, it was revealed that he had a massive collection of child pornography — some of which had been downloaded and deleted on a school district laptop. He could face as many as five years in prison per each count of child porn that is confirmed to be in his possession. He could also face fines reaching $5,000 per each count.

Family members of the school janitor appear to support him, and do not believe the 12-year-old who claimed that he sexually abused her. His stepson, a 19-year-old young man, spoke to media reporters about him.

“He’s been a great father figure to me. … I can’t imagine him ever doing anything like this. He is innocent.”

This is not the first time a sexual abuse case has come from a school district employee. However, media headlines are rife with stories about teachers behaving inappropriately with students. In this case, it was a janitor who had access to every student in the school, but there do not appear to be any other known victims. This also isn’t the first time a school janitor has been accused of crimes against children. Earlier this year, a man in Akron admitted to sexually molesting a young family member. Also this year, an Arizona janitor was arrested for assaulting a female janitor at Tolleson High School.

Reports indicate that Brian Cleveland has been released on bond, and is currently awaiting more possible charges.

[Photo: Washington County Sheriff mugshot]