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Former Chesterfield Teacher Sentenced to 565 Years for Child Abuse

TL;DR: Former Chesterfield teacher Richard Franklin Troshak III was sentenced Aug. 31 to 565 years in prison for 27 counts of child sexual abuse involving minors in his care.

The story

Richard Franklin Troshak III, 34, of Chesterfield was sentenced on Aug. 31 by Judge David Johnson to 565 years in prison on 27 counts of child sexual abuse. Of that sentence, 110 years were suspended, resulting in an active prison term of 455 years. The charges include creation and distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

Troshak was employed as a teacher at Chester Early Childhood Learning Academy with Chesterfield County Public Schools. He was arrested in August 2025 alongside Shaun Jason Adams, a 49-year-old from Petersburg who worked as a teacher at Elizabeth Davis Middle School. Court documents reveal that both men previously worked together at Tuckaway Daycare, where they allegedly discussed and shared photos and videos of child sexual abuse with one another, including material depicting both Adams and Troshak sexually abusing children in their care.

The investigation into Troshak involved collaboration between Chesterfield Police, Colonial Heights Police, Chesterfield County Public Schools, Chesterfield Child Protective Services, the Chesterfield Child Advocacy Center, and the Chesterfield County Commonwealth's Attorney's Office. Law enforcement sought to identify additional victims.

As part of his sentencing, Troshak's teaching license will be revoked and he is required to register as a sex offender.

Key players

• Richard Franklin Troshak III: Former teacher at Chester Early Childhood Learning Academy and Tuckaway Daycare, defendant sentenced to 565 years
• Judge David Johnson: Circuit Court judge who imposed the sentence
• Shaun Jason Adams: Co-defendant, former teacher at Elizabeth Davis Middle School who worked with Troshak at Tuckaway Daycare

Why it matters: The case exposes serious failures in screening and oversight at institutions serving young children in Chesterfield County. Residents may question whether current safeguards at early childhood facilities and schools are adequate to prevent individuals with criminal intent from accessing vulnerable children.

Places

• Chester Early Childhood Learning Academy
• Elizabeth Davis Middle School
• Tuckaway Daycare

Related links

• WRIC ABC 8News: 'An evil mind' - Former Chesterfield teacher given 565-year sentence for sexually abusing kids under his care
• WTVR: Virginia daycare worker gets 445-year sentence for crimes against students

Read the original at WRIC 8News (YouTube) →

Sources

• WRIC ABC 8News: 'An evil mind' - Former Chesterfield teacher given 565-year sentence for sexually abusing kids under his care
• WTVR: Virginia daycare worker gets 445-year sentence for crimes against students
• 12 On Your Side: Police searching for more victims of former teacher charged with child porn
• WRIC ABC 8News: Chesterfield police ask additional victims to come forward after former teachers charged with child sex crimes