Posted 1:43 am Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Ex-Teacher Faces Child Pornography Charges
By CASEY KNAUPP
Staff Writer
A longtime Rusk High School teacher was indicted Tuesday by a Tyler federal grand jury of possessing and distributing child pornography.
Staff Writer
A longtime Rusk High School teacher was indicted Tuesday by a Tyler federal grand jury of possessing and distributing child pornography.
Harold "Bo" Earl Scallon Jr., 60, allegedly possessed a computer that contained more than 150 visual depictions involving minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. With a search warrant, the computer was seized from his Jacksonville home by law enforcement officers.
Scallon was indicted for possession and distribution of material involving the sexual exploitation of minors, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced Tuesday.
On Aug. 29, Scallon distributed computer files containing child pornography and possessed a personal computer with a hard disk containing the sexually explicit material, the indictment states. Scallon faces five to 20 years in prison if convicted of the distribution charge and up to 10 years for the possession count.
The government is seeking forfeiture of a laptop, two hard drives and a thumb drive.
Scallon's case was sealed before his indictment was released Tuesday. He was scheduled to appear in U.S. Magistrate Judith Guthrie's court twice, in January and February, for his initial court appearance and to reportedly plead guilty, but each time the hearing was canceled.
According to school records, Scallon attended Rusk High School, where he later taught junior high and high school students beginning in 1979.
He was certified to teach theatre arts, English, history and driver's education and when, hired nearly 30 years ago, was also qualified to drive a bus.
In 1979, Scallon taught junior high students and, in 1985, he began teaching high school.
Scallon submitted a letter stating his intention to retire from Rusk ISD at the end of May 2002, but apparently continued to teach with one-year contracts, the last being signed in April 2007, according to school records.
Prosecutors could not comment on whether Scallon was still a teacher at Rusk Independent School District, and Superintendent Dr. James Largent did not immediately return phone messages for comment.
Scallon, who was discharged as captain from the United States Marine Corps in 1978, received a Master of Arts from Stephen F. Austin State University and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Dallas.
The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhood, a nationwide initiative that began in 2006 to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. The case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Longview Police Department.
