A former teacher at a middle school in Woodstock pleaded guilty Thursday to distributing and possessing child pornography.
Raymond Watts, also known as "Robin St. Taw," of Kingston, was arrested in February after giving numerous images of child pornography to an undercover federal agent.
Watts, 55, who was working at Mill Creek Middle School when he was arrested, could receive a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and supervised release for life, authorities said. He is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 3.
According to the information presented in court, Watts came to the attention of law enforcement officials during an ongoing investigation. An agent contacted Watts, then met him in person. Watts gave the agent images during one of their meetings. Hundreds of sexually explicit images of children were later found on Watts' home computer.
“The possession and distribution of child pornography is a disturbing crime, but the potential harms to the community are increased exponentially when the defendant is entrusted with children at a local school," U.S. Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said in a statement. "The arrest and conviction of this defendant has made Woodstock a safer place.”
Watts was barred from school grounds pending the outcome of the case, the school district announced after his arrest. Termination proceedings began in February, and Watts resigned on March 17, said Barbara Jacoby, spokeswoman for Cherokee County Schools.
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