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VERNON, CT (WFSB) – A longtime teacher and coach at Rockville High School is accused of taking voyeuristic photos of students and having child pornography.
Christian Stevenson.
Christian Stevenson, 52, of Vernon, was arrested on the strength of three warrants on Oct. 18.
Stevenson was taken into custody at an area hospital, but police did not reveal why he was there.
According to the warrants, Stevenson resigned from Rockville High School in mid-September, where he took most of the photos.
He had been there for 22 years where he taught social studies and was the golf coach.
The investigation began after police received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that images of suspected child pornography were being uploaded through Yahoo! Inc. email accounts.
Police said a search warrant was executed at Stevenson’s home in September.
A digital forensic exam of seized items led investigators to believe that the suspect had child pornography and voyeuristic images.
The warrants said investigators looked as his iPhone and saw images that were taken inside the school. A number of the images were email attachments. Specifically, they identified Stevenson’s classroom, hallways and the library.
The documents said the focus of many of the pictures were the buttocks, chest, or vaginal areas of young female students:
None of the students appeared to have any idea they were being photographed or recorded. Some of the photographs/recordings appeared to have been taken while Stevenson was sitting at a desk, others while walking behind students in a hallway. I observed images of students at school sporting events that appeared to have been taken covertly.
Police said some of the dozens of photos taken were of two female students, one just 15 and 17 years old at the time.
The NCMEC flagged 48 images that went through Stevenson’s email account. The warrants revealed:
All of the images depicted young girls, several of them clearly prepubescent, in sexually suggestive poses and in revealing clothing, partially nude, or completely nude. There were several images of what appeared to be the same girl who appears to be about 12.
None of the children in those photos appear to be connected to the ones taken at the school.
Police charged him with importing child pornography, second-degree illegal possession of child pornography, eight counts of voyeurism, nine counts of disorderly conduct, four counts of voyeurism with a child under 16 years of age, and four counts of risk of injury to a minor.
Stevenson is being held in lieu of a $300,000 court-set bond and given a court date of Oct. 18.
Vernon Public Schools superintendent Dr. Joseph Macary provided a statement following news of the arrest:
The safety and well-being of our students and staff is our top priority. Vernon Public Schools expects all staff to strictly adhere to the district’s high standards of professional conduct and code of ethics.
On Sept. 15, 2021 Vernon Public Schools was notified by the Vernon Police Department that Rockville High School teacher Christian Stevenson was the subject of a police investigation. Upon learning this information, Vernon Public Schools took immediate action and placed Mr. Stevenson on administrative leave. Mr. Stevenson resigned his employment the same day and is no longer an employee of Vernon Public Schools.
There is an ongoing investigation and the district is working cooperatively with the Vernon Police Department. Due to the on-going police investigation, any further inquiries should be forwarded to the Vernon Police Department.
Anyone with information about the suspect is asked to contact Vernon police detectives at 860-872-9126.
Channel 3 will have more on the story starting at 4 p.m.
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