A Tucson educator who worked at both a public middle school and a private high school has been arrested on ten counts of sexual exploitation of a minor after investigators linked him to the uploading of child sexual abuse material online.
Timothy James Sonier, 48, was taken into custody Thursday and booked into the Pima County Adult Detention Complex. The arrest came after a months-long investigation that began in December 2025, when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children flagged a report of suspected child sexual abuse material being uploaded online to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
Las Vegas detectives determined the suspect was based in the Tucson area and transferred the case to Tucson Police Department’s Human Exploitation and Trafficking Unit. Working alongside the department’s Forensic Electronic Media Unit and Homeland Security Investigations, detectives eventually identified Sonier as the suspect.
Investigators discovered that Sonier was employed as a teacher at Dodge Traditional Magnet School, part of Tucson Unified School District, and also worked as an athletic coach at Salpointe Catholic High School. Both institutions were notified of the investigation.
On Thursday, search warrants were executed at Sonier’s home and at Dodge Traditional Magnet School, where detectives made contact with him. Multiple electronic devices were seized, and a forensic review of those devices produced the evidence underlying the charges.
Authorities said no local victims have been identified in connection with the case at this time. Anyone with information is asked to contact 88-CRIME at 88-27463. Tips can be submitted anonymously.
