Peggs charged

Gilman school assures parents of student safety after former principal charged with sex crimes

A former Gilman School District principal is facing federal sex trafficking charges.

On Feb. 20, Daniel Peggs, 32, was arrested by federal law enforcement officers in Altoona. Peggs, who was hired last year as the Altoona School district superintendent was charged in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury sitting in Madison on February 12. That indictment was kept sealed until Peggs’ arrest last week.

The indictment alleges that from October 2015 through May 2016, Peggs recruited and maintained an individual knowing that the individual was a minor and would be caused to engage in a commercial sex act. The indictment also alleges that in December 2015, Peggs used the minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of the conduct. Specifically, the indictment alleges that Peggs used an iPhone to produce a video of the child pornography. At the time of the alleged incident Peggs was working as the middle/high school principal and athletic director at Gilman School District. He left Gilman for a position as a principal in Altoona in June 2016. According to United States Attorney Blader, the conduct Peggs is charged with does not involve a student from the Altoona School District.

Gilman Superintendent Wally Leipart said looking out for the safety of the students in Gilman is the district’s highest priority. He issued the following statement following Peggs’ arrest.

“We have been made aware that Dan Peggs, current superintendent of Altoona School District and a previous employee of the School District of Gilman has been indicted by a federal grand jury. The indictment alleges that actions by Dan Peggs occurred from October 2015 through May 2016. While the indictment alleges actions during a time period Dan Peggs was employed at the School District of Gilman, to the best of our knowledge, this indictment does not involve any adults or minors from Gilman. Furthermore, Dan Peggs currently has no affiliation or connection to the School District of Gilman.

The School District of Gilman takes student and staff safety, security, and well-being very seriously. At this time we have not been contacted by law enforcement and because this is a police matter, we are unable to comment further. Should law enforcement handling the case contact the School District of Gilman we will fully cooperate with the investigation process.

We realize this is a tremendous shock to both the Gilman and Altoona communities. We appreciate your cooperation as we continue to focus on our students.”

If convicted, Peggs faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years and a maximum of life in federal prison on the sex trafficking a minor charge. The production of child pornography charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years.

The charges against Peggs are the result of an investigation by the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. The Altoona Police Department assisted during Peggs’ arrest. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Pfluger is handling the prosecution.