Newton Teacher Arrested On Child Pornography Charges
BOSTON (CBS) – A teacher in Newton has been arrested on child pornography charges.
Steven Chan, 57, of West Newton, was arrested Thursday night by Newton and State Police.
He pleaded not guilty Friday at his arraignment in Newton District Court on two counts of possession of child pornography and one count of dissemination. He covered his face as the charges were read in court.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Carl Stevens reports
Newton Teacher Arrested On Child Porn Charges
The prosecutor said investigators found 27,000 pornographic images on computer hard drives taken from Chan's home.
Chan's lawyer, Christopher Shannon, implied that Chan may have inadvertently downloaded porn from "peer-to-peer" sites.
"There were zero pictures that he had produced himself," Shannon said.
Chan, a married father with two children, is a math teacher at the F.A. Day Middle School and the boys' gymnastics coach at Newton North High School.
In a letter to parents, Newton Schools Superintendent David Fleishman said the investigation "does not involve any Newton students."
Chan has been a teacher for 23 years, but is now suspended from both positions.
He was ordered held on $35,000 bail.
If he's released he cannot have unsupervised visits with children. Chan must also wear a GPS tracker and stay away from schools in Newton.
The superintendent is inviting parents to attend a community meeting next Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Day Middle School.
Fleishman, Mayor Setti Warren and Police Chief Howard Mintz will discuss the case with reporters at an afternoon news conference Friday.
Back in January 2012, a second grade teacher in Newton was arrested on child pornography charges.
David Ettlinger is now serving a 45-year federal sentence for participating in an international child pornography ring.
