Seattle Teacher Fired After Child Porn Arrest

SEATTLE, WA - A former Seattle Academy chemistry teacher arrested Nov. 21 for possessing child pornography could be released from federal custody as soon as Wednesday. Gabriel Cronin will be placed under electronic monitoring until his next court appearance on Dec. 8.

According to court documents, Cronin's cousin contacted the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on Nov. 12 to report that Cronin had been viewing child porn "for years." That tip triggered an investigation led Seattle police detectives.

After interviewing Cronin at his Seattle home on Nov. 17, the detectives searched a laptop - property of Seattle Academy - that Cronin voluntarily gave them, according to court documents. Detectives allegedly found "hundreds" of images of prepubescent girls. According to court documents, the images were likely from a website called Ukrainian Angels, which was raided and shut down in 2004.

Cronin told police he never abused any Seattle Academy students, according to court documents, and had been going to therapy for his porn addiction.

Seattle Academy fired Cronin after the school was notified of the arrest.

“We want parents and students to feel that Seattle Academy is a safe place,” said Head of School Joe Puggelli said in a statement. “The safety and well-being of our students is our number-one priority.

Cronin will be under electronic surveillance until his next court date. He is barred from having contact with students or any minors, and from using electronic devices.

Cronin was a leader of the school's robotics program. He was nominated last March for a teaching award.

Image via YouTube