Manchester Man Accused Of Viewing Child Porn Was Substitute Teacher

The man arrested Tuesday at his Manchester, N.J. home and charged with downloading and viewing photos of children engaged in sex acts was a substitute teacher in the Manchester School District.

“He has been removed from the list of substitutes,” Manchester Superintendent of Schools David Trethaway said Wednesday afternoon.

Modesto Torres was arrested at his Eighth Avenue home early Tuesday, according to Al Della Fave, spokesman for the prosecutor’s office, and has been charged with with one count each of possession of child pornography and distribution of child pornography. The charges resulted from what Della Fave said was a proactive online investigation into the distribution of child pornography over the internet.

After the article was posted, commenters on the Patch noted Torres was a substitute teacher, with several saying he had worked at the high school.

Trethaway said it was uncertain how long Torres had been on the list of substitutes. They do not sign contracts and are called only on an as-needed basis once approved by the Board of Education, he said.

Substitute teachers must go through criminal history background checks, including fingerprint checks, to work in any public school in the state, according to the state Department of Education.

Trethaway said there had been no issues with Torres reported to the district.