Former high school principal charged with child enticement, child porn

BROWN COUNTY, Wis. (WITI) -- A former Kettle Moraine High School principal appeared in federal court on Friday, Jan. 3 to face child sex and pornography charges.

David Hay was arrested by Neenah police at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport on Sunday, Dec. 29. He traveled to the area from his home in New York. Police say Hay booked a room at a Neenah hotel.

Prosecutors say the investigation into Hay, 39, spanned months, with Hay allegedly communicating online with what he thought was a 14-year-old boy -- but it was an undercover police officer. Police say the sexually explicit messages started in July. In December, police say Hay booked a "whirlpool suite" at a Neenah hotel for sex.

The judge read charges against him Friday: using a computer to attempt to persuade, induce, or entice a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity, and possession of child pornography.

On Hay's phone, investigators say they found sexually explicit images of a former Tomah High School student. Hay was a principal there from 2011 to 2014. He was also a principal in the Kettle Moraine School District between 2008 and 2011. He later attended Harvard -- and took a high-ranking job with the New York City Department of Education. In the aftermath of the allegations, Hay was fired from that job.