Former Milwaukee-area Catholic teacher arrested in Florida on child abuse image charges

Patrick Conor Russell, a former Catholic school teacher and coach in Wisconsin, has been arrested in Florida on charges of possessing child sexual abuse images, prompting calls for an investigation into his time at Milwaukee-area schools.

By Hannah Hilyard, WISN 12 News, June 3, 2026

Investigators in Florida have arrested a former Milwaukee-area Catholic school teacher and coach.

Federal prosecutors have charged 37-year-old Patrick Conor Russell with possessing child sexual abuse images while teaching at a religious school in Boca Raton.

They allege Russell sent and received explicit images of minors. Court documents said he also sent disturbing messages about his own students.

A federal charging document states Russell messaged someone multiple times about being a teacher, including one message that read, "If you were a student in my high school English class, what would you do to hit on me?"

Another message referenced his time as a coach, stating, "Get to see them so much. But too risky to try much more. Which is why I'm always in search of someone who can bait to try and get nudes of them."

WISN 12 News has learned Russell worked at several Catholic schools in Wisconsin, including Marquette University High School, where he was an assistant football and lacrosse coach from 2018 to 2024.

In a statement, the school said:

"Based on the information currently available, the reported charges relate to his time in Florida. The charges do not indicate misconduct involving MUHS students, and we have not received any reports or allegations involving Mr. Russell during his time as assistant coach.

We have also contacted the former students and families of teams that he coached. The safety and well-being of our students is our highest priority, and we encourage anyone who may have more information or concerns to report them and contact law enforcement."

Catholic Memorial High School in Waukesha confirmed Russell was a teacher there from 2021 to 2023.

"I can also affirm that Catholic Memorial did not receive any complaints, reports, or allegations of misconduct involving this former employee at any time," Catholic Memorial President Donna Bembenek said in a statement. "While this news is difficult and upsetting, we want to reassure our families and broader community that Catholic Memorial remains steadfast in our commitment to maintaining a safe, supportive, and faith-filled environment for every student entrusted to our care."

According to Nate's Mission, a Wisconsin-based clergy abuse watchdog group, and Russell's LinkedIn page, he also taught at St. John Vianney and St. Dominic in Brookfield and St. Robert School in Shorewood.

Carmen Schools of Science and Technology in Milwaukee told WISN 12 News, "This former employee worked at Carmen for one academic year and has not been with the school since May 2024. We are not aware of any allegations related to his time here. Because this is a personnel issue, we would decline any additional comment."

Nate's Mission is urging the Wisconsin Department of Justice to investigate Russell's time at local schools.

"What we've encouraged people to do is to make a report, so that the DOJ can go back to the archdiocese and say, 'Hey, we need the entire file on this guy. We need to see everything,'" said Sarah Pearson of Nate's Mission.

According to the federal charging documents, Russell told investigators he has never inappropriately touched a minor but admitted to engaging in inappropriate conversations with children.

The Wisconsin DOJ has not confirmed or denied whether it is investigating Russell.