Former teacher sentenced for porn
By M. Dirk Langeveld , Staff Writer
January 25, 2008
PARIS - A former SAD 72 substitute teacher is behind bars after pleading guilty Thursday in Oxford County Superior Court to possessing child pornography.
Gilbert E. Telford, 69, of 43 Tracey Lane in Lovell was ordered to serve six months of a five-year prison sentence with six years of probation. He must register as a sex offender for 10 years, forfeit computers seized from his home, and not possess any personal computer or peripheral equipment such as hard drives.
Possession of sexually explicit materials of a minor under the age of 12 is a felony punishable by a maximum of five years in prison.
Telford came under investigation after a woman who cleaned his home every other week became concerned about materials she discovered in the house. These included spiral notebooks with profiles of and descriptions of boys, pornographic titles, Web site addresses, and airline flight schedules.
The housekeeper also said Telford only displayed pictures of boys in the house and had asked her if she knew any young boys who could work around the house. The housekeeper contacted the principal of the New Suncook School in Lovell, who got in touch with Sgt. Matthew Baker of the Oxford County Sheriff's Office.
Five computers were seized from the house, as well as books, CDs and DVDs. According to Assistant District Attorney Joe O'Connor, the Maine Computer Crimes Task Force discovered about 7,500 pornographic pictures and dozens of video clips of prepubescent boys engaged in sexual activity.
When Justice Robert E. Crowley asked Telford if he disputed the evidence O'Connor would have presented, Telford replied, "I do, your honor, but there's nothing I can do about it now."
Telford agreed that the state could prove the charge beyond a reasonable doubt. He appeared before Crowley in an orange jail uniform, having started his sentence last Monday in Oxford County Jail.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children identified several of the children in the materials. None was local.
Last September, Justice Joyce Wheeler ruled that the materials discovered in Telford's home were admissible as evidence. Defense attorney Walter McKee had argued that there was no evidence linking Telford's computers with child pornography and that the housekeeper had not reported seeing any child pornography in the house.
Telford had been serving as a substitute teacher with SAD 72, which serves Fryeburg, Lovell, Denmark, Sweden, Brownfield, Stoneham and Stow.
Telford had no prior criminal history. Read
Former substitute teacher surrenders in porn issue
By M. Dirk Langeveld , Staff Writer
January 18, 2008
PARIS - Although he has not yet been sentenced, a former substitute teacher indicted for possessing child pornography has turned himself in at the Oxford County Jail.
Gilbert E. Telford, 69, of Tracey Lane in Lovell, was admitted to the jail Monday morning.
"He was set to plead that day, and court got canceled," defense attorney Walter McKee said. "He was pretty much ready to go at that point."
Proceedings at the Oxford County Superior Court were canceled Monday due to the snowstorm. McKee said he had reached an agreement with Assistant District Attorney Joe O'Connor, and believes Telford will serve six months out of a longer sentence.
Telford was indicted last February for possession of sexually explicit materials of a minor under the age of 12, a felony punishable by up to five years in prison. McKee said Telford's lack of a criminal record and age were factors in the mitigated sentence.
Telford came under investigation in October 2006 after a housekeeper who worked for him every other week became concerned about materials she found in Telford's home and contacted the principal of the New Suncook School in Lovell.
Telford had been serving as a substitute teacher for SAD 72, which encompasses Fryeburg, Lovell, Denmark, Sweden, Brownfield, Stoneham and Stow.
Police seized five computers from Telford's home, as well as numerous CDs, videos and DVDs. The Maine Computer Crimes Task Force discovered tens of thousands of pornographic photos of children as well as over 300 digital movies, some with children under the age of 12, according to police records.
The Center for Missing and Exploited Children in Alexandria, Va., identified several missing children through Telford's material. None of the children in the material were local.
McKee said Telford withdrew his own bail money so he could start the sentence. He is being held on $2,500 cash bail, the same amount set after his initial arrest.
Telford is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday.
Read
Evidence in Lovell child porn case ruled admissible
September 11, 2007
By M. Dirk Langeveld, Staff Writer
PARIS - A judge has ruled that items seized from a former SAD 72 substitute teacher accused of possessing child pornography are admissible as evidence.
Justice Joyce A. Wheeler filed the ruling with the Oxford County Superior Court on Thursday. She had been reviewing the case since defense attorney Walter McKee and Assistant District Attorney Joe O'Connor made their presentations on the matter July 9.
Telford, 69, of 53 Tracy Lane in Center Lovell, was indicted in February of possession of sexually explicit materials of a minor under the age of 12. Last October, Sgt. Matthew Baker of the Oxford County Sheriff's Office obtained a search warrant for Telford's residence after a housekeeper who worked there every other week reported concerns about materials there.
The housekeeper said she found several spiral notebooks near his computers that contained names, phone numbers, profiles and descriptions of boys, airline flight lists, several Web site addresses, and pornographic titles.
The housekeeper also said Telford only displayed pictures of children in the house and asked her if she knew any boys who could do chores for him.
Police seized five computers as well as CDs, DVDs, movies and books, according to McKee. The Maine Computer Crimes Task Force discovered tens of thousands of pornographic images and more than 300 digital movie files, some containing children under 12, according to Baker.
Several of the children in the materials were identified by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, but none were local.
In a motion to suppress evidence filed in April, McKee argued that Baker's affidavit for a search warrant did not say whether the Web sites were pornographic. He also said there was no evidence linking Telford's computers with child pornography and that the housekeeper had stated that she never saw any child pornography in the residence.
O'Connor replied that the materials in Telford's residence were enough to merit a search, citing a DVD case with pictures of four boys ages 7 to 9 the housekeeper found near a computer. He said the addresses were for preteen Web sites featuring 5- to 6-year-olds.
McKee stated that the search was based on "stale" information, since the housekeeper's last visit to Telford's residence was three to 10 days prior to the search.
O'Connor replied that another child pornography case in the state had used evidence seized 80 days after it was first seen by a witness.
Wheeler agreed with the conclusions O'Connor had reached, including his argument that McKee was relying on an outdated case to define probable cause. She said that while the housekeeper did not see any child pornography in Telford's residence, that is not a requirement for a search to take place.
"Baker's affidavit reflects more than just suspicions," Wheeler stated. "It provides a substantial basis for finding of probable cause that Telford possessed sexually explicit materials that depicted sexual conduct with children."
Possession of child pornography is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
Read
Lovell man sentenced for having child porn
By Jessica Alaimo , Staff Writer
Friday, February 9, 2007
PARIS - A former SAD 72 substitute teacher was indicted Thursday in what Oxford County officials say is the biggest child pornography case they have ever investigated.
Police said they seized five computers from the home of Gilbert Telford, 68, of 53 Tracy Lane in Center Lovell. The Maine Computer Crimes Task Force recovered tens of thousands of pornographic photos and more than 300 digital movies, some with children under 12, said Sgt. Matt Baker of the Oxford County Sheriff's Office.
The material was given to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, based in Alexandria, Va. The center identified several missing children through Telford's material.
Baker said none of the children in the materials are local.
SAD 72 Superintendent Gary MacDonald offered little comment Thursday except to assure that Telford has had no contact with the schools since his Oct. 23 arrest, and he has been removed from the substitute teaching list.
MacDonald said there was a lot of concern from parents in the district, which covers Fryeburg, Lovell, Denmark, Brownfield, Stoneham, Stow and Sweden. He sent a letter to them after the initial arrest to assure them of the facts.
Telford was arrested Oct. 23 after a complaint from a neighbor gave police probable cause to get a search warrant. After entering his home, officials found child pornography magazines, videos and computer files, Lt. Hart Daley of the Sheriff's Office said previously.
Telford was bailed on $2,500 from the Oxford County Jail the same week he was arrested, with conditions that he have no contact with children under 18. Baker said deputies make regular checks to ensure that he is abiding by his bail conditions.
"He's been very cooperative as far as that goes," Baker said.
Telford's official charge is one felony count of possession of sexually explicit materials.
Read
SUB CHARGED WITH CHILD PORN
October 26, 2006
Shocking news out of Oxford County, a substitute teacher there is charged with child pornography.
68 year old Gilbert Telford was arrested by the Oxford County Sheriff's Department.
Now the Oxford County Sheriff's Department is investigating the possibility that Telford victimized local children.
If you think a child you know might have had inappropriate contact with Telford, give the sheriff's department a call at 1-800-733-1421.
Read
Watch Video
Substitute teacher charged with child porn
October 27, 2006
By E.C. Shanor
FRYEBURG - Police arrested a substitute teacher Monday, after searching his home and accusing him of "possession of sexually explicit material of a child or children under the age of 12."
According to Oxford County Sheriff's Sergeant Matthew Baker, a search warrant was obtained for the home of Gilbert Telford, 68, of Lovell. Acting on information from a concerned citizen, the deputies suspected that "sexually explicit material" would be found there. It was, the officer says.
Police have seized a computer from the home and, according to Oxford County Sheriff's Lt. Hart Daley, there appears to be an large amount of information on that computer, all of which will need to be processed by the Computer Criminal Trask Force in Lewiston.
There is no indication of a local victim or victims at this time, Daley says.
The deputy sheriff says Telford retired from teaching school in Maryland and has been substitute teaching in SAD 72 (which includes Fryeburg, Denmark and Lovell).
Baker says no record has been found of Telford having previous convictions, in Maine or in Maryland, and so he is not required to register as a sex offender.
Oxford County Jail records indicated that Telford was released late Tuesday morning, after posting $2,500 cash bail. His bail conditions include having no contact with a specific individual, presumably associated with the case, or any children under 18 years of age, not to possess or use a computer or the internet and not to be within 1,000 yards of a school. The offense is a class C felony.
Gary MacDonald, SAD 72 superintendent, said he was shocked by the allegations.
"We have never had any complaints about inappropriate conduct about him [Telford,]" MacDonald says.
The superintendent
adds that the substitute had good references from his long career in Maryland and passed the state required police background checks in Maine, as well as extensive reference and employment checks when he was taken on as a substitute.
Telford served as a substitute for several years on an "as-needed" basis, usually in upper elementary-school grades throughout the district, sometimes in special education classes and occasionally lower elementary levels, MacDonald says. From time-to-time he also was assigned to special education classes at Fryeburg Academy.
According to Sergeant Baker the case is still under active investigation and other charges may result, but he would not speculate as to what those might be. As the Advertiser Democrat went to press on Wednesday, there was no answer to calls made to Telford's Tracy Lane, Center Lovell, home.
Read
Teacher sub charged in child-porn case
By Jessica Alaimo , Staff Writer
Thursday, October 26, 2006
PARIS - A substitute teacher in SAD 72 has been arrested on charges of possession of sexually explicit material of a minor under 12.
Gilbert Telford, 68, of 53 Tracy Lane, Center Lovell, was arrested by the Oxford County Sheriff's Office on Monday afternoon. He was bailed from the Oxford County Jail on $2,500 cash, jail officials said.
He is scheduled to appear in 9th District Court at 8 a.m. Dec. 21.
A school official said Telford will not be called to substitute until the case is resolved, but offered no further comment.
The Sheriff's Office received information from a resident, Lt. Hart Daley said. With that information the office obtained a search warrant to look for specific items.
Daley said items recovered included child pornography magazines, videos and computer files.
The subjects in the pornography were not children that Telford has had any contact with as a teacher, Daley said. He could not disclose where the children were from.
Because Telford works in the schools, law enforcement officials pursued this case aggressively, Daley said.
If convicted of the felony, Telford would face five years in prison and would become a lifetime registered sex offender.
Read
Attorneys spar over warrant
By M. Dirk Langeveld , Staff Writer
sunjournal.com
July 10, 2007
PARIS - A judge will consider whether there was probable cause for police to search the residence of a former SAD 72 substitute teacher accused of possessing child pornography.
Gilbert E. Telford, 69, of 52 Tracy Lane in Center Lovell, was indicted in February of a charge of possession of sexually explicit material of a minor under the age of 12. Following his arrest, police seized five computers from his home, as well as child pornography magazines and videos.
Attorney Walter McKee, who represents Telford, said the search was not done with probable cause. He said a housekeeper became concerned about material in a spiral notebook near one of Telford's computers and contacted police.
"No search was permissible," said McKee.
McKee has filed motions to suppress as evidence materials found during the search. According to Sgt. Matt Baker of the Sheriff's Office, the materials seized by the Maine Computer Crimes Task Force included tens of thousands of pornographic images and more than 300 digital movie files.
Assistant district attorney Joe O'Connor said some materials in the home would have been enough to create suspicions, including DVDs with sexually explicit titles and a DVD case near the computer with seven- to nine-year-old boys on it.
O'Connor said the notebook contained profiles of young boys and the addresses of Web sites featuring boys aged five to six. He said the housekeeper also noted that Telford asked her if she knew any boys who could work around the house.
"The requirement is whether a common sense viewer would conclude that there is a probable cause," said O'Connor of the search.
McKee argued that the housekeeper was reading too much into the comment, and suggested that Telford simply needed the help. He also said there was no indication in the warrant as to whether the preteen Web sites were inappropriate.
The matter is being reviewed by Justice Joyce A. Wheeler.
Telford is charged with a Class C felony. If convicted, he could face up to five years in prison.
|
