A lot of publicity is often given to teachers who are charged with possession of child pornography. Both state and federal prosecutors aggressively pursue such cases. If convicted, penalties can be harsh. In addition to time in prison, defendants may lose their jobs and must register as sex offenders for the rest of their lives.
A former Maryland music teacher pled guilty to one count of possessing child pornography. He was sentenced to less than a year in jail; because he has been in custody for nearly a year, the sentence was for time served. But the former teacher has not seen the last of his days in court.
As we discussed on our blog in April, the possession of child pornography charges came about after a federal investigation revealed pornographic images on the man’s home computer. Further investigation led to allegations by over a dozen students that they had been sexually abused by the teacher. He has also been charged with the rape of a former middle school student.
When the teacher is released from jail on the possession of child porn charges, he will be immediately transferred to a different county to face the sexual abuse and rape charges.
No matter how serious the charges, all defendants have the right to protection of their constitutional rights, including the right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure and to due process of law. An experienced criminal defense attorney could provide representation to a defendant in these types of circumstances and see to it that the process is fair.
Source: The Washington Post, “Former Md. teacher pleads guilty to having child porn,” Donna St. George and Dan Morse, Feb. 6, 2014
