School superintendent charged with possessing child sexual abuse material

HANNAFORD, N.D. (KVRR-KFGO) – The superintendent and principal at Midkota Public School in Binford, North Dakota, has been arrested and charged with possessing child sexual abuse material.

Forty-year-old Ryan Baron was arrested in Hannaford by deputies from the Griggs and Foster County Sheriff’s Offices, and agents with the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security.

Investigators were working off of a cyber tip from National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Baron is facing five felony charges. Charging documents say Baron had five sexually explicit videos of girls believed to be between the ages of 7-13.

Baron was arrested on Tuesday and brought to the Barnes County Jail. A bond of $5000 and order to stay at least 300 away from Midkota School were set by Southeast District Court Judge James Hovey. Baron’s initial appearance in court is scheduled for December 26.

In 2021 Baron was arrested for trespassing at Tri-County School in Karlstad, Minnesota where he had previously been the principal and superintendent. He pleaded guilty and was fined $140. At the time, he was superintendent of the Ulen-Hitterdal School District.

Baron was named superintendent at Midkota in the summer of 2022.