(08/08/08 – Initial BBT Report)
Terry Zane, 57, a music teacher in the Fresno Unified School District for eighteen years and who recently taught music at Wolters Elementary School and Lawless Elementary School in Fresno, California has been arrested on child pornography charges.
Reportedly Zane had taken a computer in for repairs and the repair technician allegedly discovered the child pornography. The technician then contacted police who conducted an investigation and took Zane into custody when he came to pick up the computer.
Police also served a search warrant for Zane’s home where they seized another computer and computer disks.
Zane has reportedly been charged with 100 counts of possession of child pornography.
He has been placed on administrative leave by the school system.
08/12/08 – First Court Appearance
Terry Zane today made his first court appearance and entered a plea of not guilty to 100 counts of possession of child pornography.
Zane remains jailed in lieu of $250,000 bond and has a pre-preliminary hearing set for August 18th and a preliminary hearing set for August 25th.
10/05/08 – Number of Charges Reduced
Terry Zane, originally facing 100 counts of possession of child pornography saw a judge reduce the charges to a single count of possession of child pornography.
Zane who has pleaded not guilty will be back in court on October 9th.
10/20/08 – Federal Charges
On Thursday, Terry Zane was arrested on federal child pornography charges.
On Friday, the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office on Friday dropped child pornography charges against Zane.
Also on Friday, Zane made an initial appearance in federal court and entered not guilty pleas to charges of distributing or being in receipt of child pornography, and possession of child pornography.
If convicted of the federal charges, Zane could face up to 30 years in prison.
Zane was released on bond following his initial appearance in federal court.
01/12/09 – Guilty Plea
Terry Zane pleaded guilty today to federal child pornography charges and is facing a likely prison term of six and a half years at sentencing in March.
Zane was taken into custody after he entered his plea.
03/24/09 – Sentencing
On Monday, Terry Zane was sentenced to six and a half years in federal prison.
Zane, once released from prison, will be on probation for 10 years and will be required to register as a sex offender.
On June 8, Terry Zane will face in court one of the girls shown in the pictures authorities found on his computer. At the time of the child’s sexual abuse at the hands of her father she was 10 and 11 years old.
Under a new law, the girl has put in a claim seeking restitution from not only Zane, but others convicted in U.S. District Court in Fresno on federal child pornography charges in which her picture was found.
References:
Fresno teacher sent to prison for child porn (03/23/09)
Former Fresno teacher pleads guilty to child porn charges
Fresno Teacher Faces New Child Porn Charges (10/17/08)
Charges Reduced Against Teacher Accused of Possessing Child Porn (10/03/08)
Fresno teacher accused of possessing child porn makes first court appearance (08/12/080)
Fresno Elementary Teacher Arrested for Child Porn (08/08/08)
Fresno Unified teacher arrested on child porn possession charges (08/08/08)
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March 24th, 2009 at 8:20 am
The fact is that this man led a double life. He may have been good at teaching and helped many people during his career but tha was only one side of his life. The other side was an adiction to child pornography. He had over 100 images on his computer. Who knows how many other images he had on privious computers? The fact is that people like him create the “demand” for child pornography on the internet. What about the millions of children who are victims because of this “demand”. If you want to try to curb this type of crime you must punish the people who are a part of it!