What to Know
- An astronomy and physics teacher at a high school in NJ was arrested and charged with possession of child pornography, prosecutors said
- Micahel A. Morrill, a teacher at Columbia High School in Maplewood for nearly 25 years, was charged after a search warrant, prosecutors say
- Morrill, 55, is scheduled to appear in court June 19; Attorney information for Morrill was not immediately known
An astronomy and physics teacher at a high school in New Jersey was arrested and charged with possession of child pornography, prosecutors announced Thursday.
Micahel A. Morrill, 55 and a teacher at Columbia High School in Maplewood for nearly 25 years, was charged with third-degree possession of child pornography after authorities found digital files depicting the sexual exploitation of children during a search warrant, acting Union County Prosecutor Jennifer Davenport said.
An investigation by the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) subdivision of the Prosecutor’s Office’s Cyber Crime Task Force initiated earlier this year resulted in Morrill being identified as a suspect, prosecutors say.
Last week, detectives executing a search warrant at Morrill’s home on Manor Drive in Union Township recovered digital files of child pornography on a laptop, prosecutors say.
Also seized during the execution of the search warrant were two dozen other electronic devices, including a tablet, desktop computers, laptops, and removable hard drives and other storage devices, all of which will be forensically examined as part of the continuing investigation, prosecutors say.
Morrill is scheduled to appear in court June 19.
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If found guilty, Morrill could face a sentence of up to 5 years in state prison.
Attorney information for Morrill was not immediately known.
South Orange and Maplewood Board of Education did not immediately respond to NBC 4 New York's email request for comment.
