City worker resumes job at Austin Water amid child pornography investigation

Mark Raymond, an employee at Austin Water, is under investigation for child pornography charges following a tip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
(Photo courtesy: Austin Police Department)

CBS Austin
by CBS Austin
Tue, December 12th 2023, 1:26 PM GMT-7

A city employee facing child pornography charges has returned to work following the incident.

Mark Raymond, an employee at Austin Water's Webberville Service Center, was first investigated in May 2023 by the Austin Police Department after they received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The tip alleged Raymond shared 13 files of child pornography and two files of child nudity via the messaging application Kik.

After reviewing the files, APD detectives confirmed at least five met the state's legal definition of child pornography. As the investigation continues, Austin Water said situations are handled case-by-case per city policy. The utility said it does not monitor criminal charges for all employees but does require some roles, like CDL holders, to self-report arrests if it impacts their work.

Austin Water declined to comment specifically on the active case but said Raymond has come back to his prior role at the Webberville location. As a fair chance employer, the city said it provides opportunities regardless of criminal history.

Full statement from Austin Water:

As a fair chance employer, the City does not monitor the criminal charges or arrests of all employees. Situations are handled on a case-by-case basis. City policy requires certain employees, like CDL holders or employees whose jobs require a criminal background check, to self-report arrests to the City, since that may impact their ability to perform their job.

Austin Water is aware of the criminal investigation regarding Mark Raymond. We do not have a comment on this active investigation. Mr. Raymond has returned to work at the Webberville Service Center.