Former Baltimore child care worker charged in federal child sex abuse case
Federal prosecutors say a former Homewood child care worker produced abuse images while employed at a Hopkins-affiliated center and now faces up to 30 years.
A former substitute at Homewood Early Learning Center in Baltimore now faces federal charges after prosecutors said she produced child sexual abuse material involving a prepubescent minor and possessed more on an iPhone and a hard drive.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland announced the indictment on May 21, 2026, naming Simone Unadrea Avery, 23, of Baltimore. She is charged with one count of sexually exploiting a child and two counts of possessing child sexual abuse material. Prosecutors allege Avery produced two image files on April 23, 2024, showing a prepubescent minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
The case carries serious federal penalties. Under 18 U.S.C. § 2251, a first-time conviction for production carries a statutory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years in prison. The Justice Department says it prefers the term child sexual abuse material because it more accurately describes the abuse depicted, even though the statute still uses the term child pornography.
Johns Hopkins said Avery worked as a substitute teacher at Homewood Early Learning Center from June 29, 2023, to May 2, 2024, according to a letter described in the reporting. That timing matters because the alleged offense that led to her arrest occurred in June 2024, after her employment at the center had already ended. Homewood Early Learning Center is listed among Hopkins-affiliated child care centers on Johns Hopkins’ child care benefits page, which gives the case added significance for Baltimore families who rely on university-linked early learning programs.
The investigation was a joint effort by the Baltimore City Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and it was tied to a prior conviction. Avery was charged in May 2025 and convicted in September 2025 in that earlier case, and she is currently imprisoned because of that conviction.
For parents, the case is a reminder that trust in child care settings depends on more than a familiar name on the building. It depends on screening, day-to-day supervision, and fast reporting when allegations emerge. A case involving a Hopkins-affiliated center in Homewood will likely intensify scrutiny of how Baltimore institutions monitor employees and respond when concerns surface.
This article was produced by Prism’s automated news system from verified source data, official records, and press releases, then run through automated quality and moderation checks before publishing. The system is built and supervised by the people who set the standards it runs under. Read our full AI policy.
Did this article answer your question?
