Advertisement

Newton Teacher Arrested On Child Porn Charges

A Newton middle school teacher was ordered held on $35,000 cash bail Friday on child pornography charges.

Steven Chan, 57, was arrested Thursday night and charged with two counts of possession and one count of dissemination of child pornography. Chan is a math teacher at the F.A. Day Middle School in Newton and the boys' gymnastics coach at Newton North High School.

During his arraignment Friday, Chan was ordered to stay at least 50 yards away from Newton public schools. He also is prohibited from using the Internet or having unsupervised contact with anyone under 18.

A prosecutor said in court that Chan downloaded the images and shared them, but none of the images were created by him.

Chan's lawyer said he unwittingly shared child pornography on his computer.

Newton School Superintendent David Fleishman said administrators have been told by the Middlesex district attorney that the investigation does not involve any Newton students.

In January, another Newton teacher was sentenced to a 45-year prison term by a federal judge in Louisiana for participating in an international child pornography ring.

In a letter to parents, Fleishman said the two cases have been difficult.

"The news of a Newton teacher's arrest and arraignment on such serious charges for the second time in a year and a half has a real impact on the entire Newton community," he wrote.

Fleishman said a community meeting will be held Tuesday evening so parents can ask questions and hear from law enforcement officials and mental health experts.

This article was originally published on August 30, 2013.

This program aired on August 30, 2013. The audio for this program is not available.

Advertisement

More from WBUR

Listen Live
Close