(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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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!
Terry or Mr Zane was an assistant band teacher at Bullard while I was there and I was good friends with his daughters too. I never liked him. I always got a weird vibe from him. Me and my friends notice that he interacted with the band kids a little different then the other instructors did and it creped us all out. To me it seemed like he had no business out there with us. It really didn’t surprise me when i heard these charges. Actually it explains a lot.
I also had Mr. Zane as my Middle School band teacher. He was/is a great person, who encouraged us, his students to go on in life and make something of ouselves. Mr. Zane was/is a great influence in our lives. It makes me real sad that all of this is happening to him…
i digress.
Anyone who might like to write a letter regarding their positive experience with Terry Zane, please contact patsycall@aol.com. Bryan and Brandi, I’d like to hear from you.
This man has been a wonderful friend and neighbor for over 20 years. No student or parent has come forward and said he did, or tried to do, anything to any child. He might have looked at something on his computer since he worked with children and was trying to fiind out what some of his students had to deal with in their home life. Why do some people immediately think this man is a vicious criminal. I can remember when if you had a copy of “Hustler” you were considered terrible. They show worse on TV now than what the book showed then. There is only one charge against him at this time, so if he looked at pictures one time, does that make him a sexual predator?
I think there is a book out that says “Let he who has committed no sin, throw the first stone.” I think more of us should follow that example. In this country a person is innocent until proven guilty.
Tech support Says: “i see it its not right to have child pornography”
It is far more than “not right” pal… IT’S a FELONY, FELONY, FELONY replete with serious jail time.
It was the DUTY of that tech to report this guy, PERIOD.
What’s your malfunction???
In Middle school I had “Mr. Zane” as my band teacher. I at no time now and / or then thought that this man could be capable of swooping that low.. He is a caring teacher and a great man. I am almost 24 and would trust this man around my children.
I actually know this man. I hope this files aren’t his but I know he wouldn’t do anything to his students like the news is making it sound. I was his student. Myself and several others were close to him and know better. He is not a scumbag. And I agree with the comment that says it’s an invasion of privacy.
Police say following his arrest Thursday, Zane made a confession to detectives.
“He admitted that the computers in question are his and that he is in fact responsible for the contents of his computers.”
I’d be leaning towards this scumbag being guilty, not some computer tech who only downloads kiddie porn at work on client machines when his boss isn’t around.
Also, remember that if you asked for your files to be backed up and restored as part of a rebuild process, then you’d expect that the tech would have access to *all* your files. If I found kiddie porn this way, the Feds would be informed in no time at all.
well the computer tech could have as well look at and downloaded the images on the computer boss must have come in and tech got nervous and could have said it was this guys. All I am saying investigate the techs who worked on it to check there record and make sure that you have your right guy not defending the guy or damning him I just know PC tech tend to go on the internet to ” test” the computer. Now as far as if it was his stuff well let me bring this point up. you bring in your computer for general maintenance you have a picture of your wife in night ware what right do they have searching through Personal file and folders System folder and system related item have nothing to do with your documents it invasion of privacy as i see it its not right to have child pornography but its also not right that tech that you intrust with you computer to go looking through your files for all you know they can steal your identity so i say INVESTIGATE EVERYONE and background check them