L.I. Teacher Accused of Possessing, Sharing Child Porn

Christopher Teague, 34, was arrested Wednesday

Police on Long Island say a math teacher at a junior high school has been arrested on charges of possessing child pornography and sharing it over the Internet.      

Suffolk County police say 34-year-old Christopher Teague, of Coram, was arrested Wednesday on charges of possessing a sexual performance by a child and promoting a sexual performance by a child.      

There was no indication Teague had inappropriate conduct with students, or that he used school computers, police said.

Police say Teague is employed as a math teacher at Longwood Junior High School in Middle Island.    

The superintendent of Longwood Central Schools, Allan Gerstenlauer, said in a statement that Teague has been placed on administrative leave and will not have contact with students pending the outcome of the investigation.

Nevertheless, parents were concerned.

"I'm afraid for my daughter because she's going to enter the school next week, and knowing that a teacher got arrested for that," said Susannah Banegas.

Parent Fran Joseph called Teague's arrest "embarrassing for the community" but said she was glad he was arrested before he started working in the classroom.

Police say Internet service providers tipped off State Police who contacted detectives from the Computer Crimes Unit.      

Teague was arraigned in First District Court in Central Islip. His parents and other family attended court but did not speak to reporters.

His attorney, Michael Brown, said several members of Teague's family are in law enforcement and that he does not have a criminal record.

"I don't know if anyone else had access to his computer systems," Brown said. "Having a computer in your household where others may have had access, I can't speculate at this point."

Police have confiscated Teague's home computers and storage devices for evidence.

Neighbors who thought they knew Teague were stunned.

"This man was our neighbor," said one woman. "It's heartbreaking, it's nerve-wracking. I'm really saddened by it."

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