Former Livermore Charter Prep School Teacher Arrested on Suspicion of Possessing, Dealing Child Porn in Washington

LIVERMORE, CA — A former Livermore Charter Preparatory School science teacher was arrested on Sept. 2 at his home in Washington on suspicion of possessing and distributing child pornography, Elma police officials said.

Officers with the Elma Police Department in Washington state served a search warrant at the home of 31-year-old Jeffrey Gross on Aug. 30 after getting a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Computers were seized during the service of the warrant and after investigators reviewed the evidence, Gross was arrested several days later, according to Elma Police Chief Susan Shultz.

Shultz said Gross will be charged with multiple counts of possession and distribution of images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, which is a felony in that state. Gross was arrested and booked into the Grays Harbor County Jail.

At the time of the arrest, Gross was employed as a ninth grade science teacher at Aberdeen High School in the Aberdeen School District.

Prior to his employment with the district in Washington, Gross was employed as a science teacher and science department chair for Tri-Valley Learning Corporation in Livermore, California, according to Aberdeen School District Superintendent Thomas Opstad.

Chris Bertelli, a spokesperson for the Livermore Valley Charter Preparatory High School, which is one of the schools represented by the Tri-Valley Learning Corporation, confirmed Gross was employed at the school from 2011 through June of 2015, when he left to take a job in Washington. According to the Aberdeen School Board agenda, Gross was hired for the 2015-2016 school year as a science teacher.

Bertelli said Gross did not have any complaints filed against him during his employment at Livermore Valley Charter Preparatory.

According to the State of California website, a teaching credential, which was granted in September of 2010, under the name “Jeffrey Daniel Gross,” was suspended on Sept. 19, 2016 for “misconduct.”

"His documents were suspended pursuant to Education Code section 44940, which requires the Commission to automatically suspend a credential where the holder has been charged with a mandatory leave of absence offense, including sex offenses defined in Education Code 44010 and certain drug offenses involving minors," Joshua Speaks, Legislative Representative for the Commission on Teacher Credentialing told Patch. "It is important to note that this only indicates that the educator has been charged. We are restricted by law from providing any further details about the nature of his case."

Gross entered a not guilty plea while in court on Sept. 7, according to reports from multiple Washington media outlets.

Gross did not return calls for comment.

Photo courtesy Renee Schiavone/ Patch