Holly - posted on 10/30/2010 ( 9 moms have responded )
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http://www.news10.net/news/local/story.a...
SACRAMENTO - An elementary school yard monitor and crossing guard has been accused of possessing child porn.
According to Captain Jim Cooper of the Sacramento Sheriff's Department, 37-year-old Darrin Dean Byington was arrested Thursday for child porn possession from his home on 10th Street in Sacramento. The police also took his two computers into custody.
Cooper says the suspect was employed by the Sacramento Unified School District as a crossing guard at Matsuyama Elementary in Sacramento, and he first appeared on their radar 10 months ago. They had been watching him closely, and arrested him as fast as possible when they learned he worked at the school.
"He's got no criminal history, there's no way they (the school) ever would have known and fortunately we're out there doing proactive work looking for child sexual predators and we caught this individual," Cooper said.
Many school parents found out when they picked up their children Friday afternoon.
"It's disturbing, it's unsettling that somebody like that would be associated with a school, but the good news is he was arrested and he won't be in the position he was around all of our children," said mother Janet Ferguson.
"I'm stunned, I can't believe it," said Susie Lauck. "The PTA pulled funds together so that he could maintain his job because we loved him, he was great."
Investigators say 40 video files were found on Byington's computers. Most of the children in the videos were ages 8 to 11; the youngest was three.
Cooper said his team does not believe any children were hurt during Byington's employment at the school. They also don't believe he was producing porn.
The Sacramento City Unified School District has begun formally notifying parents about the situation.
In a statement a spokesperson said, "The part-time employee in question has been placed on administrative leave. Parents were notified of this arrest this (Friday) afternoon. The district is taking these allegations extremely seriously and should the charges prove true, the district will take the strongest possible action."
By Nick Monacelli, nick@news10.net
News10/KXTV
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