A school employee in Newmarket, New Hampshire, has been charged with possession of child sexual abuse images, according to police.
Newmarket police announced last week that they had received information about an incident of possession of child sexual abuse images that might have occurred in the town. They said they sought and obtained a search warrant for a person of interest and items related to the investigation.
They said their investigation identified an employee of the Newmarket School District as the focus of the case.
On Friday, Newmarket police announced that Devan Chick, 37, of Newmarket, has been charged with five counts of possession of child sexual abuse images. According to school officials, Chick is a facilities technician at Newmarket Junior-Senior High School, which includes students from grades 6-12.
Chick was taken into custody on Friday and released on $2,500 cash bail, police said, and he is scheduled to be arraigned on June 20 in Brentwood District Court.
Police said at this time, they have no information to indicate "any (other) locally involved person or victims." Anyone who has information regarding the incident is asked to call Newmarket police at 603-659-8505.
The case remains under investigation.
Newmarket School Superintendent Todd Allen said in an email to parents, staff and members of the community on Friday that Chick has been on administrative leave since April 10, when police first notified the school district of its investigation.
"As I have emphasized throughout this process, there still is no evidence that these charges are connected in any way to any students, staff, or Newmarket residents other than Mr. Chick," Allen said. He urged anyone with information to share about the investigation to contact police.
