Former White Pass School District Superintendent Greggery Ray Teel was sentenced to nine years in prison June 17 for possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material.
Teel pleaded guilty last month to one count of first-degree dealing in depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct and three counts of first-degree possession of depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
Four counts were dismissed in the plea deal, according to reporting from The Daily News.
“We appreciate the work of the Longview Police Department who investigated this matter,” the Cowlitz County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said in a news release following the sentencing.
Teel, of Kelso, will serve community custody upon his release from prison.
Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Alysa Draper-Dehart represented the state’s case.
The Longview Police Department arrested Teel on Jan. 13 after what it called an “extensive investigation.”
That afternoon, the White Pass School District released a statement signed by Joel McMahan, the district’s school board president.
“Be informed that due to the severity of the allegations surrounding the arrest, we have placed Mr. Teel on administrative leave effective immediately,” McMahan wrote. “He has been removed from access to the building and does not have access to any of your/our children.”
The district would later appoint business manager Angela Bowen as acting superintendent.
On April 20, former Centralia City Council member and longtime educator Mark Westley officially took over as the district’s interim superintendent.
According to a news release from Longview police, detectives began investigating Teel after “receiving multiple referrals” from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
“Through court-authorized search warrants, investigators obtained subscriber records, account information, and internet usage data that linked the reported online activity to a residential address in Kelso, Washington, the residence of Greggery Teel,” the release said.
Investigators identified multiple online accounts, email addresses and internet connections used to upload and distribute the material, police said.
According to the prosecuting attorney’s office, Teel faced a standard sentencing range of 87 to 116 months, based on the severity of the crimes and Teel’s criminal history.
Judge Jill Karmy ultimately sentenced Teel to 108 months, or nine years in prison.
