A former Paulding County elementary school teacher was sentenced Wednesday to three years in federal prison for possessing child pornography on his home computer.
Joseph Monroe Wilson, 44, now of Spartanburg, S.C., was a teacher at New Georgia Elementary, near Villa Rica, and was in the process of adopting a child when a search warrant was executed at his Dallas home in March 2012. During the search, investigators found a portrait of a young, naked boy hidden in Wilson’s closet and numerous images of child pornography on his computer, according to U.S. Attorney Sally Quillian Yates.
“This prosecution successfully removed a teacher from the classroom who not only ordered and collected child pornography, but who also had unfettered access to children as a school teacher,” Yates said in an emailed statement. “Because children innocently trust teachers like this man, it is essential that we identify and prosecute such individuals.”
Prosecutors believe Wilson received pornographic images and videos from Canada through the mail, prompting an investigation by the U.S. Postal Service. He was indicted by a grand jury in July 2012.
At the time of the search warrant, Wilson was a teacher and in the process of adopting a 7-year-old boy. He is no longer a teacher and the adoption was halted, Yates said.
Following the completion of his three-year sentence, Wilson will face 30 years of supervised release. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.
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