LOS ANGELES - The Filipino-American teacher accused of child pornography appeared in the Los Angeles Superior Court for his arraignment.
Silvestre Layug Ela entered a plea of not guilty to a pair of felony charges. One charge accuses him of possessing child pornography. The other charge claims he distributed child pornography.
The 53-year-old teacher from Dominguez Elementary School in Carson, California declined to comment on the case. The District Attorney’s office said the investigation is on going.
Prosecutors said they found over a thousand pictures and videos, mostly of pre-teen boys. During the initial investigation, they said they may find more evidence before the next court appearance on February 2.
Ela was arrested last November when prosecutors said they tracked him down through a website where some 90 members shared child pornography. They are trying to see if Ela had any involvement in producing the pornography.
They have asked potential victims from the school, as well community groups he was involved with, to contact police. So far, no one has come forward to authorities.
Ela had lived in Carson for over 30 years. He taught at Dominguez Elementary School for the past 15 years where he had a clean record. He has been placed on unpaid leave since his November arrest. He will not return to the school district unless the case is resolved.
At his first court appearance last month, the court told him he cannot be with minors, unless accompanied by an adult. Ela remains out of custody on a $20,000 bail. If convicted, Ela could spend up to 3 years and 8 months in state prison and register as a sex offender.
No comments:
Post a Comment