KATY, TX (Coverng Katy News) - A teacher from Katy ISD, accused of possessing child pornography, has been fired.
At the Monday board workshop meeting, the board of trustees voted unanimously to terminate the contract of James Stone, a former teacher at Tompkins High School.
Law enforcement agencies, including the Fort Bend County District Attorney's Office and the Waller County Precinct 3 Constables, say Stone had thousands of images of child pornography.
Stone, aged 53, was arrested at his Katy home on May 13 and faces nine counts of possession of child pornography following an undercover investigation into the possession or promotion of child pornography on the dark web.
According to the constable's office, Stone allegedly admitted to producing some of the photos. Court documents revealed that law enforcement confiscated 35 hard drives and over 20 SD cards containing images taken in various locations around the Katy area, including children in pools and at the beach, as well as images of female students. Still, the Fort Bend District Attorney's Office says the images taken on the Tompkins campus and around Katy, at pools and other outdoor areas were not the ones that are pornographic.
Stone is the husband of Melinda Stone, the principal of Taylor High School. In an email to parents on May 14, she said she was unaware of her husband's alleged crimes.
Since his arrest, Stone has not returned to campus.