Ex-Holden teacher faces charges for child porn

BANGOR – A former teacher at Holbrook Elementary School in Holden waived indictment and pleaded not guilty Monday in federal court to possession of child pornography on a school computer.

Gerald Bailey, 55, of Bucksport was released on $5,000 unsecured bond after appearing in U.S. District Court in Bangor.

Bailey, who taught eighth grade at Holbrook Elementary School, is scheduled to change his plea to guilty on Jan. 11. He faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

Two of Bailey’s pupils discovered the pornographic images nearly three years ago and reported finding them to the school principal, according to court documents. A forensic examination revealed that Bailey had received e-mails on the computer in his classroom confirming his membership in sexually oriented clubs.

Bailey admitted to investigators that he had been seeking out and viewing images of pornography for about two years, according to court documents. He also said that he was the one who had downloaded the images onto the school’s computer.

Investigators found about 90 images of “child erotica and child pornography” including one of a minor who has been identified in a previous investigation, according to court documents. That particular image was filed in federal court but sealed.

Bailey is the second former Holden teacher this year to be charged with possession of child pornography. Christopher Reardon, 34, of Houlton pleaded guilty in August to distributing pornography. His sentencing date has not been set.

Charges were brought against Reardon after he used computers in his Holden residence to transmit images of child pornography to a police officer in New Hampshire who was posing as a 14-year-old boy, according to court documents. Reardon hasn’t been accused of using school computers to download or transmit pornography.