Cranston School Custodian Facing Child Porn Charges

CRANSTON, RI — A Cranston school employee is facing child pornography charges. Michael Macari, 34, has worked as a custodian in the district for the last five years, most recently at Western Hills Middle School, Rhode Island State Police said.

During a search of his Hoffman Avenue apartment Thursday, police found digital media and social media accounts belonging to Macari that were involved in an investigation into the sharing of explicit photos of children over the internet. During their initial investigation, police traced the connection to Macari's apartment.

There is no evidence at this time that Macari had any inappropriate contact with students, state police said. Anyone with information relating to the investigation is urged to reach out to the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force by calling 401-921-1170.

Macari was charged with one count each of possession of child pornography and mail, transport, deliver or transfer of child pornography. He was arraigned, held on $5,000 bail and ordered not to have contact with minors.

If found guilty, Macari faces up to five years in prison and a fine of $5,000 for the possession charge and up to 15 years in prison and a $5,000 fine for the transfer charge.