'Weird vibes'; Mom reflects on daughter's playdate with man accused of child exploitation

INDIANAPOLIS - A well-known composer turned teacher is facing child porn charges.




55-year-old Julian Wachner was arrested in Indianapolis on Wednesday, about a week after a woman said she and her daughter were over at his house.




The police report said the incident that led to his arrest happened on Aug. 11, just two days after a mom, who asked to remain anonymous, said she had been over to Wachner's home to let their daughters play together.




"I did get weird vibes, but I'm like ok, he's just a dad that wants to set up a playdate," the woman said.  




The mom said her daughter was in the same kindergarten class as Wachner's daughter last year. Ever since then, he wouldn't let up on the two girls getting together.




"Every time we did see him, he was like, 'We have to set this up, we have to do this, we have to do this,'" the mom said. "I was just like, 'Okay.'"




When that day finally came, the mom did a quick Google search and was surprised at what came up.




"I came across the previous allegations, the sexual misconduct allegations and I read up on everything," the mom said. "...  It did raise some type of red flag because it was all very public information."




Trinity Church Wall Street posted a release three years ago that said an investigation into allegations dating back to 2014 led to the end of Wachner's employment as their then-musical director.

The investigation is ongoing, and thus the investigator has not yet made any determination about the veracity of the 2014 allegations. Still, we have concluded based on recent information that Julian has otherwise conducted himself in a manner that is inconsistent with our expectations of anyone who occupies a leadership position. For this reason, Trinity has decided to end Julian's employment with Trinity as of today.

Following his musical falling out, Wachner worked as a fourth-grade math teacher at Invent Learning Hub on the city's near southeast side. He was listed on the school's website earlier Thursday morning before being removed.




Wachner also has a valid permit as a substitute teacher with Indianapolis Public Schools, according to licensing records. 




When asked for comment, IPS said Wachner has never been employed by IPS directly or indirectly.

The permit issued for IPS was requested by Parallel and issued by IDOE on 9/10/24. However, Julian Wachner never completed the hiring process with Parallel, was not hired and did not substitute teach in Indianapolis Public Schools.




- IPS Spokesperson

While details of the incident that led to Wachner's arrest have not been revealed, the mom said she can't stop thinking about what his intentions could have been with her daughter. 




"Just to think if I was to have left, if I wasn't the type of parent that would have stayed for a playdate, and I left my child, it just makes me angry," the mom said. 




Invent Learning Hub told parents they did a background check on the former teacher prior to hiring. 

The mom wishes that was only the start of how much they looked into him.




"If anyone that is working with kids has any type of sexual allegation against them, even if it's not with minors, I really don't think they should be working in close proximity to kids," the mom said. 




The school put out a statement saying the alleged behavior happened outside of the school and did not impact any students. It also said Wachner has been placed on administrative leave as the school continues working with law enforcement.

The safety and well-being of our students and faculty remain our highest priority. The arrest is the result of inappropriate behavior that occurred outside our school. At no time were any students impacted by the actions of this individual. In light of the serious allegations, this employee has been placed on administrative leave.  The school is cooperating with law enforcement and will take all appropriate actions regarding the employee's continued employment upon the completion of the investigation. We will review our school safety protocols with all faculty to ensure we continue to provide a safe and secure learning environment for all students. Additionally, counseling resources will be available to students, families, and faculty who may require support during this time.

via: https://fox59.com/news/indycrime/weird-vibes-mom-reflects-on-daughters-playdate-with-man-accused-of-child-exploitation/