A high school teacher is accused of downloading child pornography.
What to Know
- Twenty-six-year-old Warren Anderson of Lowell and Harvard is accused of possessing child pornography
- Anderson is a math teacher at Narragansett Regional High School in Baldwinville
- Investigators allegedly discovered Anderson possessed videos of girls ranging from 3 to 5 years old being sexually assaulted by men
A Massachusetts high school teacher has been arrested and charged on child pornography offenses.
Warren Anderson, 26, of Lowell and Harvard, was charged Tuesday with one count each of receipt and possession of child pornography, according to the U.S. District Attorney's Office.
"Of course I'm upset," said Anderson's grandfather, who declined to give his name.
According to court records, Anderson, a math teacher at Narragansett Regional High School in Baldwinville, was interviewed as part of an ongoing investigation into the online trade of child pornography through the use of Kik messenger and Dropbox.
The suspect's grandfather says he doesn't know much about what was allegedly happening inside the family home, but when investigators showed up, they were allowed to take his grandson's laptop.
"I could tell he had something on his mind," he said.
U.S. & World
When interviewed by investigators, Anderson allegedly admitted to accessing websites on the dark web to obtain child pornography.
Anderson was taken into custody at his aunt's house in Harvard on Tuesday. According to court documents, when agents asked him if he knew why they were there, he responded, "because of my internet activity."
Anderson allegedly told investigators he was interested in child porn depicting boys as young as 8 years old. Investigators also discovered he had videos of girls ranging in age from 3 to 5 years old being sexually assaulted by adult men, according to court documents.
According to Anderson's grandfather, the suspect spent a lot of time on his computer.
"That's part of his job and his career. Of course he'd be on the computer a lot," he said. "He depends on it."
After learning of the charges, Narragansett Regional School District Superintendent of Schools Christopher Casavant released a letter stating that authorities told him there was no evidence any student, past or present, during Anderson's two-year tenure, was victimized. Anderson was placed on leave until further notice pending the investigation.
"Please know, as a District there is nothing more important than the emotional and physical safety of our children," Casavant said in the letter.
Anderson appeared before a magistrate Tuesday was ordered detained pending a probable cause and detention hearing on Aug. 27. If found guilty on the charges, Anderson could face up to 30 years in prison.
It's unclear if he has an attorney.
