Ex-Pennsbury Teacher Pleads Guilty To Child Pornography Charges

LOWER BUCKS COUNTY, PA —A former Pennsbury music instructor has admitted in court Monday to collecting more than 2,000 images and videos depicting child pornography, authorities said.

Christopher Bygott, 48, of Hamilton, N.J., pleaded guilty to felony charges of child pornography and criminal use of a communication facility, the Bucks County District Attorney's Office said.

Bygott faces a potential maximum of 17 years in prison on the charges.

Bucks County Common Pleas Court Judge Jeffrey Finley accepted the plea and agreed to defer sentencing for 120 days for an assessment to determine if Bygott is a sexually violent predator, which would subject him to more restrictions under Megan's Law, authorities said.

Pennsbury Schools Superintendent Thomas A. Smith has said that authorities did not believe that any Pennsbury students were involved in the porn images.

He said that Bygott was placed on unpaid administrative leave, banned from all district properties and district activities, and has been instructed not to communicate with any district staff, students, or families.

Bygott worked for the Pennsbury School District for 20 years. He was terminated in March.

A forensic examination of his cellphone led to the discovery of 2,000 images and videos of Child Sex Abuse Materials that depicted sexual acts with children of various ages.

The investigation by detectives with the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office began on Dec. 5 after two CyberTips were submitted to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

The CyberTips were linked to an IP address, which was used to upload the Child Sex Abuse Materials (CSAM) files into an Amazon Photos account. Bucks County Detectives received subscriber information from Amazon.com Inc., which identified the subscriber as Bygott.

Further investigation linked the IP address to the Pennsbury School District. During their investigation, Bucks County Detectives learned that Bygott is employed by the school district as curriculum coordinator for instrumental music.