A former BC instructor has recently been charged with accessing child pornography.
Michael Gelotte taught music technology in the computer science department at BC until April 2009. According to the Seattle PI, “Michael Gelotte was still employed at the college in April when a pair of computer technicians inadvertently discovered him viewing child pornography at his workstation, according to charging documents. Now, Gelotte is facing child pornography charges in King County Superior Court.”
Gelotte is 56-years-old, lives in Maple Valley, and has a family. He resigned sometime in April or May and was then arrested last May after police searched his computer.
According to the Seattle PI, “reviewing a portable drive attached to Gelotte’s computer, a Bellevue detective found 2,175 photos of children with ages ranging from 2-years-old to their mid-teens engaging in sexually explicit acts or poses. Robertson reported that Gelotte also admitted to having “chat sex” online with girls as young as 12.”
Geolette waived his rights and confessed to the charges, stated the Seattle PI.
“I am glad the school took the actions that they did. There is no excuse for someone to be looking at child pornography and to know that it was someone teaching teenagers and young adults is nauseating. Teachers are supposed to be setting examples and preparing us students for our futures. Looking at kiddy porn is not setting a good example for the youth of America,” said Michael Wilson, a BC student.
Anthony Young, another BC student and a father, responded to the news; “I am at a loss for words. I don’t even know what to say.”
Geolette is not in custody. His arraignment is scheduled for Feb. 18. A court order prohibits him from using the Internet.