PURVIS — At 8 a.m. Monday, the grandmother of a 17-year-old student at Purvis High walked into the Purvis Police Department to complain about text messages her granddaughter had received from a substitute teacher.
Less than four hours later, Purvis police had obtained a warrant for George Fries, 29, on a felony child pornography charge and arrested him at Purvis Middle School, where he was substitute teaching.
Purvis police investigator Andrew Johnson said Fries’ computer and cell phone were seized. Along with messages and e-mails, pornographic images of at least one minor were discovered, police said.
Fries made his initial appearance Tuesday afternoon in Justice Court, where his bond was set at $50,000.
Johnson said that under state law, anyone who receives or sends inappropriate material to anyone younger than 18 can be charged with child pornography.
“It doesn’t take too much, as long as people can tell us what’s been going on,” Johnson said.
“In the course of talking to the grandmother, we were talking about whether there was some other stuff, and she said, ‘Hey, I’ve got some e-mails,’ ” Johnson said.
Fries’ arrest was the latest in a series of recent alleged crimes against minors in the Pine Belt:
Terrance Shane Wagner, 34, a former Hattiesburg police officer and Jones County Junior College cheerleading coach, had a bond revocation hearing Feb. 3. He was charged on five counts of sexual battery and one count of child exploitation.
Derek Scott Pittman, 36, a former Marion County pastor, received a seven-year sentence Jan. 30 after being found guilty of the statutory rape of a 14-year-old girl.
Gary Keyes, 39, was arrested Jan. 27 in Jones County on a charge of statutory rape. The alleged crime involved a 15-year-old.
Zachary Riley, 23, a former cheerleading instructor, remains in Lamar County Jail after being held without bond on Jan. 22 on two counts of statutory rape and one count of child of child molestation. The Lamar County crimes involved acts with two girls younger than 14, District Attorney Hal Kittrell said. Riley also faces two counts of child molestation, one count of sexual battery and one count of statutory rape in Forrest County.Lamar County Sheriff Danny Rigel said law enforcement officials were “seeing a lot more child pornography and exploitation of minors than in the past” and said technology had a lot to do with it.
“The more technology you start seeing, the more you see that technology abused,” Rigel said. “There’s just a lot more avenues for that abuse than there had been in the past.”
Lamar County schools Superintendent Ben Burnett said all employees, including substitute teachers, undergo background checks and fingerprinting.
Burnett said Fries would not be used as a substitute while under investigation.
Johnson said he had been working with Steve Rosser, the Lamar County schools’ security chief, to encourage anyone with information to come forward.
“We’re lending an open ear to people who ever have any information like this,” Johnson said.
CITED FROM:
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20090218/NEWS/902180340/1001/NEWS
