(8/13/07 - Initial BBT Report)

Mark Zana, 39, a former fifth-grade teacher at Newton Elementary School and Kesterson Elementary School in Henderson, Nevada charged with nine counts of lewdness and 11 counts of child pornography has been found guilty on 10 of the 21 counts.

The guilty verdicts were returned on charges of both lewdness with a child and possession of sexual photos of a minor.

Sentencing is set for October 4th.

Zana was arrested in September 2005 after a former student who moved to Colorado confided in her mother about improper contact with her teacher, Mark Zana, while the student was attending school in Henderson, Nevada. Colorado authorities contacted Nevada authorities which initiated an investigation.

During the ensuing investigation Henderson Police detectives served a search warrant at Zana’s home taking his computers which were then subject to forensic analysis which allegedly revealed images and video clips of suspected child pornography.

During the course of the investigation detectives spoke with students and former students about the touching allegations and discovered an additional alleged victim.

During a preliminary hearing for Zana in December 2005 the original alleged victim who was a second-grader when Zana taught her in 1998 testified that Zana, who often used candies as a reward for students, on one occasion asked her during class whether she wanted a Jolly Rancher. The girl says that she replied “Yes” and that Zana had her reach into his pocket to retrieve the candy. The girl testified, “After I touched his penis, I grabbed a Jolly Rancher. I kind of looked at him, and he just kind of raised his eyebrows and smirked. But he didn’t stop me”.

A then 13-year-old former student of Zana’s testified to a similar experience testifying that “she stuck her hand in Zana’s pants pocket to play with his keys during reading time. Instead Zana guided her hand until it met his penis”.

As the investigation and case against Zana proceeded, a total of six female alleged victims were discovered over the course of his years teaching in the Clark County School District. Zana was initially hired in 1996 to teach at Newton Elementary School. In 1999, he transferred to Kesterson Elementary School.

Also discovered during this case was that Mark Zana faced similar accusations in 1993 while teaching in Pennsylvania. There Zana was accused of corruption of minors and indecent assault. There under an agreement reached in court, Zana was allowed to enter a program called “Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition, a program for first-time offenders. By his participation in that program it made it possible for him to have the incident erased from his criminal record. Records of his arrest and criminal history were expunged making it impossible for the Clark County School District in Nevada to learn of his past history when he was hired there in 1996.

9/12/07 - Sentencing Postponed

On 9/11/07 District Judge Jackie Glass postponed the sentencing of Mark Zana to allow for further investigation into the possibility that a member of the jury had researched Zana on the Internet during the trial.

This information was provided to the judge’s staff by another jury member and requires a full investigation by the court.

Zana’s defense attorney Tom Pitaro, who has filed a motion for a new trial and says “There’s no doubt in my mind that he (the juror) Googled Zana.”.

Judge Glass has order all records containing juror names sealed, order the attorneys to have no contact with the former jurors and stated she intends to bring all 12 of them into court to and to question them separately to determine if the allegation is true.

12/20/07 - Sentencing

Today Mark Zana was sentenced to 22 years in prison without the possibility of parole for molesting female students and possessing child pornography.

Zana was unsuccessful in his attempt at getting his conviction over-turned because a juror researched the case online.

References:

Former Henderson teacher sentenced to 22 years (12/20/07)

Former Teacher Mark Zana Sentenced to 22 Years (12/20/07)

Clark County Elementary Teacher May Get New Sex Abuse Trial (9/12/07)

Former teacher found guilty of lewdness, child pornography (8/13/07)

Background:

Teacher Arrested for Child Pornography

Girls tell court of touching by teacher (12/07/07)

SCHOOL DISTRICT EMPLOYEES: Arrests raise concerns (10/01/05)

School District Responds to Arrests of Two Employees

PA School Watch News Archives

(7/16/07 - Initial BBT Report)

David D. Koepp, 40, of Winneconne, Wisconsin, a former teacher in the Omro School District, has been indicted by a federal grand jury for attempted receipt and possession of child pornography.

The federal indictment indicates Koepp attempted to receive a video file via his computer in October 2006 which depicted a four-year-old girl engaging in sexual activity with an adult male.

It is also charged that Koepp knew he had two images on his computer that depicted young girls engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Koepp came to attention of authorities owing to an internet sting in which FBI agents created a link to a fake file containing child pornography and traced those that downloaded the file.

When FBI agents went to Koepp’s home to interview him he allegedly told them “he screwed up his life and that he will never get a job again.”

FBI agents reportely seized three computers, a 60-minute videocassette and a shoebox containing 68 computer disks from Koepp’s home.

Koepp was to be released to electronic monitoring in his home once it could be set up. Koepp is scheduled for trial on October 1st.

9/20/07 - Guilty Plea

David D. Koepp pleaded guilty Wednesday to a charge of attempted receipt of child pornography during a hearing in U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin in Green Bay.

Koepp, who faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years in prison and a maximum of 20 years, is scheduled for sentencing on December 18th.

After his prison sentence is completed Koepp will be placed on supervised release for at least five years and will be required to register as a sex offender.

The federal indictment indicates Koepp attempted to receive a video file via his computer in October 2006 which depicted a four-year-old girl engaging in sexual activity with an adult male.

12/20/07 - Sentencing

Thursday afternoon, a federal judge in Green Bay sentenced 40-year-old David Koepp to five years in prison followed by extended supervision.

References:

Band Teacher Goes to Prison for Child Pornography (12/20/07)

Former Omro school teacher pleads guilty to child pornography charges in federal court (9/19/07)

Former Omro teacher faces child pornography charges

Former Omro teacher faces child pornography charges

Webmaster’s note: The two above links are different sources to the same report.

Brian Lee Davidson, 30, a tennis coach at Argyle High School in Argyle, Texas has been arrested and charged with having an improper relationship with a 16-year-old female student.

A probable cause affidavit indicates that Davidson sent a 16-year-old female student several text messages with sexual content in them, made sexual comments to her on the telephone, called a substitute teacher and asked her to send the girl to his classroom, touched her on the leg and kissed her on the ear and cheek and engaged in a simulated sex act with her.

Following his arrest Davidson posted $5,000 bail and was released from the Denton County Jail.

Reportedly Davidson has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal school district investigation.

Reference:

Argyle teacher arrested for improper student relationship (12/19/07)

Allan Dennison Hulme, 60, a former elementary school teacher in Novato, California has been arrested on suspicion of continuous sexual abuse of a child, lewd acts with a child, oral copulation by force and false imprisonment.

The alleged victim is a now 16-year-old boy that has told investigators that Hulme engaged in 50 to 60 sexual acts with him since the summer of 2005, when the boy was 13 years old.

It is alleged that on some occasions that Hulme restrained the victim against his will.

Hulme came to the attention of authorities when the boy made the allegations to a therapist, and the therapist contacted police.

Thus far police have refused to release the name of the school where Hulme taught, however police say that Hulme has not taught for “some time”, reportedly 10 years.

Following his arrest, Hulme was released on $500,000 bail.

References:

Former Novato teacher arrested in molest case (12/19/07)

Former Novato elementary school teacher arrested for sexual abuse of a child (12/19/07)

(12/04/07 - Initial BBT Report)

Julio Benavides, 28, a former math teacher at Richmond Hill High School, in Queens, New York has pleaded guilty to statutory rape of a 14-year-old female student.

Benavides was arrested on June 13, 2007 on charges of Rape in the 2nd Degree and Endangering the Welfare of a Child for engaging in sexual intercourse with a then 14-year-old female student on several occasions at his home.

Benavides was released on his own recognizance, but was court ordered to stay away from the victim. Benavides first violated this order of protection by visiting the student at her Brooklyn residence several times in July. Benavides was arrested in September for his violation of the protective order in July.

Also in July, Benavides again attempted to communicate with the student at LaGuardia Airport in Queens before she embarked on a trip with her family. Reportedly Benavides contacted the girl for a parting kiss before her summer vacation. For this Benavides was again arrested, in October.

Benavides is set to be sentenced in Queens Supreme Court on December 17th and faces from one to three years in prison according to his lawyer.

12/17/07 - Sentencing

Julio Benavides has been sentenced to one to three years in prison following his guilty plea earlier this month to a charge of statutory rape of a 14-year-old female student.

References:

SEX-TEACH CAGED (12/18/07)

Guilty plea in teen rape (12/04/07)

Rich Hill teacher tried to contact teen: DOE (10/25/07)

Ex-Queens teach in student harass rap (10/18/07)

NYC DOE SCHOOL TEACHER ARRESTED (Department of Education Press Release) (10/17/07)