The 50-year-old president of the Buena Park School Board was arrested on Friday, April 21, 2017, on suspicion of having distributed child pornography. The man faces two distinct felony charges, one having to do with possession of child pornography and the other having to do with transporting of the obscene material into the state.
All together, the man has been accused by police of possessing as many as 600 inappropriate images of minors, an estimated 10 of which are of children under the age of 12. It’s in light of the latter that the defendant in this case is facing an enhanced sentencing if he’s convicted on the charges that have been brought against him.
An investigation into an internet-based child pornography ring that turned up the man’s IP address was ultimately responsible for having led police to the defendant’s home on Wednesday, April 19, 2017. The search warrant executed turned up numerous photos and videos showing underage minors on one of the defendant’s computers.
The man was taken into custody and transported to Santa Ana’s Central Jail that same day. At his arraignment, in Superior Court on Friday, he did not enter a plea. The Orange County judge presiding over this case set bail at $250,000. If convicted of the charges, which police allege occurred between February 28, 2016 and the date of his arrest, the man faces up to 68 months in state prison.
As for the man’s employment, the school board met the day following his arrest to discuss the matter. They decided not to move forward in firing the man from his job, although they did request for him to stay away from any school board functions until his charges were adjudicated or until he resigned his post.
Even if ultimately acquitted of the charges, the publication of his arrest and the nature of the crimes he’s been accused of have the potential of making it difficult for him to secure employment down the road. Because of the public nature of his job role, the man almost assuredly is working with an Orange County, California, criminal defense attorney to aggressively fight the charges that have been waged against him.
Source: ocregister.com, “Buena Park’s school board president charged with 2 felony child-porn charges,” Sean Emmery, April 21, 2017