Pope John High School teacher arrested for allegedly taking inappropriate photos, videos of female students, prosecutor says
SPARTA TOWNSHIP, NJ (Sussex County) – A Pope John High school teacher has been arrested after allegations of taking inappropriate pictures and videos of female students, according to Acting Sussex County Prosecutor Annmarie Taggart.
A joint investigation by the Sparta Police Department Detective Bureau and Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office’s Major Crimes and High Tech Crimes Unit began on October 12 when a teacher at Pope John High School in Sparta Township overheard several 8th grade female students talking about their teacher, Michael F. Wagner, 39, of Hopatcong Borough, recording them during class, Taggart said.
Sparta Township police initially responded to the school and during the course of the investigation, police found hundreds of videos and pictures of numerous students taken by Wagner who would position the electronic device in such a way as to capture and record the underclothing of female students, Taggart said.
A forensic review of his personal electronic devices also found he possessed, viewed, or had under his control less than one thousand items depicting the sexual exploitation or abuse of children, Taggart said.
Wagner was arrested without incident on October 17 and charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, third-degree possession of child sexual abuse material, and third-degree invasion of privacy. He is being held pending a detention hearing, Taggart said.
If convicted of the second-degree crime, Wagner faces up to 10 years in state prison, with the possibility of up to 5 years for a conviction of the third-degree crimes, Taggart said.
This is an ongoing investigation and anyone with information about this incident to please contact Detective Brian Hassloch of the Sparta Police Department at 973-726-4067 or the Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit at 973-383-1570.
