A girls track coach at Downers Grove South High School has been charged with paying two minors to produce child pornography, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.
Glen Messmer, 46, contacted the minors, who lived out of state, through social media platforms Snapchat and Telegram, the office said. The interactions started “sometime over the summer in 2022 and lasted until September 2022,” the office said.
Messmer, an assistant girls track coach at Downers Grove South, “convinced the two to produce child sexual abuse material, and in at least one instance provided specific instructions as to how to produce the material he wanted,” the office said.
He allegedly sent payments to the minors through CashApp.
Messmer resigned from his position at the high school Thursday, according to an email sent out by District 99 Supt. Hank Thiele. He had joined the team as an assistant coach in April 2021.
No students from the district were believed to be involved in the case, according to the email.
Messmer did not teach at the school and had passed a background check before interacting with any students, the email said.
If convicted, Messmer faces a maximum of 10 years in prison.
