Former high school teacher pleads guilty to possession of child porn
A former Indiana County high school teacher pleaded guilty Tuesday to possession of child pornography.
Charles Kirkland, 33, of Derry Township, was arrested in late 2022 after a state police investigation revealed he downloaded as many as nine pornographic images of children on his home computer.
Kirkland pleaded guilty to two felony counts of child pornography. Two additional felony charges, dissemination of images of child sex acts and criminal use of a computer, were dismissed.
He and his defense lawyer, Thomas McKinley, declined comment following Tuesday’s guilty plea hearing.
Kirkland, who remains free on a $10,000 unsecured bond, faces up to seven years in prison when he is sentenced in about three months by Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani.
Kirkland worked as a business teacher at Homer City High School from 2016 until he resigned following his arrest. According to Pennsylvania Department of Education records, Kirkland’s teaching certification is no longer valid.
Rich Cholodofsky is a TribLive reporter covering Westmoreland County government, politics and courts. He can be reached at rcholodofsky@triblive.com.
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