BALTIMORE — Baltimore City Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are conducting a joint investigation into a former substitute teacher at Downtown Baltimore Child Care at the Homewood Early Learning Center, stemming from the teacher's prior conviction for distribution of child pornography.
Baltimore City Police confirmed the investigation on Monday.
"Investigators with the Baltimore Police Department, in partnership with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, are actively investigating a former childcare employee. This is an active and ongoing investigation, and the former employee is currently incarcerated," a spokesperson told WMAR-2 News.
According to a letter sent to the Johns Hopkins community on Sunday, Simone Avery, 23, worked as a substitute teacher at the Homewood Early Learning Center from June 29, 2023, to May 2, 2024.
Public court records show Avery's offense that led to her arrest occurred in July 2024, following her tenure at the learning center.
She was charged in May 2025 and was convicted in September 2025.
Avery is currently serving a two-year sentence.
Johns Hopkins officials say law enforcement over the weekend confirmed that the victim's family has been notified, but no further information was available.
Officials added that Avery did pass federal and state background checks before and during her employment at the learning center, stating that the arrest was unknown to Johns Hopkins until law enforcement brought word of it on February 27.
The university said it is "fully cooperating" with and "pressing" law enforcement for a full investigation.
"This is a terrible violation of trust and an affront to the safety of our most vulnerable—the children of our faculty, staff, students, and neighbors. We are here to support anyone needing help during this time, including those who are not directly involved," said Branville G. Bard, vice president for public safety and chief of police.
The full statement from Downtown Baltimore Child Care is below:
March 1, 2026
Downtown Baltimore Child Care learned on Friday, February 27 that the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are conducting a joint investigation of one of our former employees, arising from a 2025 state conviction for distribution of child pornography.
The individual, Simone Avery, was a DBCC substitute teacher in several of our classrooms at the Homewood Early Center from June 29, 2023, to May 2, 2024. Based on public records, the offense leading to Ms. Avery’s arrest occurred in July 2024, after she left DBCC’s employment. Ms. Avery was charged in May 2025, convicted in September 2025, and is currently incarcerated.
This is incredibly difficult and distressing news. We have many unanswered questions. However, law enforcement has confirmed that identified victim families have been notified and that, although this is an ongoing investigation, they have no information that there are additional DBCC victims at this time. We can also confirm that Ms. Avery passed federal and state background checks before and during her employment with DBCC.
The safety and well-being of the children entrusted to our care is always our highest priority. We are working with law enforcement to understand more of what has occurred and will cooperate with any investigation that arises from this information.
The university is encouraging anyone who may have knowledge or information relevant to the investigation should contact the FBI Baltimore Field Office at 410-265-8080 or submit tips at tips.fbi.gov [s2.bl-1.com].
