Former teacher and coach pleads guilty to child porn, taking covert photographs of students
A Connecticut man plead guilty this week to illegal possession of child pornography and risk of injury to a child, officials said.
Christian Stevenson, 54, of Vernon, pleaded guilty Friday in Rockville Superior Court to first degree illegal possession of child pornography and three counts of risk of injury to a child.
Stevenson was arrested in 2021 after a lengthy investigation by the Vernon Police Department regarding suspected child pornography being accessed within the town. After receiving information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and executing multiple search warrants, it was discovered that Stevenson was importing and accessing child pornography on his personal online accounts including both images as well as an electronic video file.
It was later discovered that Stevenson was a high school teacher at Rockville High School, and served as the golf coach. After executing additional search warrants, police learned that Stevenson had taken covert photographs of multiple female students within Rockville High School and within his classroom, as well as accessed students’ social media accounts and downloaded their images, all without their knowledge. Many of these photographs focused on the private areas of the students.
Stevenson is scheduled to be sentenced in Rockville Superior Court on June 21, 2024 and faces a maximum sentence of 20 years, with possible release after seven to nine years in prison, followed by 10 years of probation, under the terms of the agreement. Stevenson will be required to register with the Connecticut Sexual Offender Registry for a period of 10 years.
This case is being prosecuted by Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney Jaclyn Preville.
