A former Pace Academy teacher was sentenced to serve five years in federal prison on child pornography charges, authorities said.

William Villemez, 30, pleaded guilty and was convicted in April of charges that he bought and received DVDs and digital images of child pornography and child erotica. He was the former drama and dance teacher at the Buckhead private school.

“Child pornography is a horrendous crime that involves the sexual abuse and exploitation of the most innocent members of society,” said U.S. Attorney Sally Quillian Yates, in a statement. “It is particularly distressing when a teacher purchases and downloads child pornography.”

A federal court found that between July 2008 and March 2011, Villemez ordered 32 pornographic DVDs worth $750 from a website based outside the United States. Law enforcement officers traced those orders to his Smyrna home.

Federal investigators obtained a search warrant for Villemez’s home last October and found more child pornography downloaded on his computer, authorities said.

Villemez was also ordered to serve 10 years under supervised release following his five-year prison sentence.

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