Bus driver for William Floyd schools charged with possessing child porn

Following a tip submitted to a nationwide internet crimes task force, New York State troopers arrested a bus driver for the William Floyd School District on multiple counts of promoting and possessing a sexual performance by a child.

On Thursday, state troopers arrested Guenther Mayrhofer, 71, of Mastic Beach, according to a state police news release.

A spokesperson for the William Floyd School District confirmed Mayrhofer is an employee of First Student Transportation, which the district contracts to provide transportation for students.

"He has driven bus routes for the district," the spokesperson said in an emailed statement. "The moment we were informed of his arrest, we decertified him as a bus driver for the district."

Troopers from Troop L, which covers Nassau and Suffolk counties, executed a search warrant at Mayrhofer’s home Thursday. State police said troopers seized cellphones, tablets, laptops, hard drives, SD cards and USB drives from Mayrhofer’s residence.

The troopers opened an investigation into Mayrhofer following an online tip generated by the nationwide Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force Program, a network of 61 task forces which comprise 5,400 federal, state and local law enforcement and prosecution agencies.

Mayrhofer was processed at the state police’s Riverside barracks Thursday and charged with six counts of promoting a sexual performance by a child, a class D felony, and six counts of possession of a sexual performance by a child, a class E felony.

At his arraignment at Suffolk County First District Court on Friday, Mayrhofer pleaded not guilty to all charges, according to court documents. He is being defended by the Legal Aid Society of Suffolk County, which generally does not comment on cases. 

Anyone who believes they are a victim can submit a cyber tip to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children or call 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).