Former Teacher Faces Child Pornography Charges

PHOTO: Michael A. Sweeney/photo courtesy of Fairfax County Police

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FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA -- Fairfax County Police said Tuesday that a local teacher faces charges of child pornography.

Police originally arrested Michael A. Sweeney, a teacher at Walt Whitman Middle School, on Sept. 20, on charges of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, after police say they found him in a car with a 16-year old girl in the 8800 block of Richmond Highway.

Sweeney was suspended without pay in September the day of his initial arrest, according to Fairfax County Public Schools. He subsequently resigned as of Dec 31.

Patrol officers from the Mount Vernon District Station arrested the Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) teacher on Sunday, Sept. 20. Sweeney, 44, of Woodbridge, was charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor, following an investigation which stemmed from him being found in the company of the minor.

The new charges Sweeney faces this week are:

• one count of production of child pornography for a child under 15 years old;
• one count of production of child pornography for a child over 15 years old;
• three counts of solicitation of a minor using a communication device;
• five counts of possession of child pornography.

Detectives obtained warrants on Monday, Feb. 1. The charges are for crimes that allegedly occurred between November 2013 and September 2015. Sweeney turned himself in at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center that evening.