(Wahoo, NE) -- A former Valparaiso teacher is facing several felony charges of possession of child pornography.
Jeffrey Nelson, a former Raymond Central Public Schools teacher, appeared in Saunders County Court Monday afternoon for arraignment on nine counts of child pornography possession and one count of visual depiction/sexually explicit conduct. Valparaiso is located about 22 miles north of Lincoln.
The school district said in a written response on Monday that Nelson had been “removed the classroom several weeks ago and will not return.”
A search warrant filed January 6th in Sanders County Court listed three cameras, a laptop and a bank statement that were to be seized at Nelson’s residence. The warrant listed several explicit photos and videos obtained in November, December, and January from the IP address associated with that residence via automated software designed to seek out devices offering to share child porn.
According to the document, the media files contained images of girls as young as 4-7 being molested by adults, performing sex acts with adults, or witnessing adults performing sex acts in front of them; some depicted teens and adults engaging in various sex acts on themselves or with others.
Bail was set at $250,000 and Nelson was ordered to have no contact with anyone younger than age 18 except for his own children. Nelson’s preliminary hearing has been set for February 18th.
According to Nelson’s profile on the Raymond schools website, he coached junior high speech and drama for grades 6-12; and previously taught speech and drama in Omaha for 12 years.
The superintendent of the school district issued a statement Monday:
“Today, Raymond Central Public Schools was informed by law enforcement that Mr. Jeffrey Nelson was arrested. Mr. Nelson had taught at Raymond Central Public Schools. However, Mr. Nelson was removed from the classroom several weeks ago and will not return. Throughout this process, the District has worked very closely with law enforcement to gather information, assist with their investigation, and ensure student safety. Raymond Central Public Schools sincerely thanks the collaborative, the professional working relationship between the District and its law enforcement partners. At this time, the District wishes to reaffirm to its students, parents, and community members that student safety remains, without question, our highest priority.” - Dr. Derrick Joel, superintendent of Raymond Central Public Schools
(Photo by WOWT / Saunders County Sheriff's Office)