Middle school special ed teacher allegedly caught with child pornography

VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) — A Vancouver, Washington, middle school teacher accused of viewing and collecting child pornography online is facing federal charges.

Seattlepi.com reports that federal prosecutors in Seattle say special education teacher Jay Michaud spent nearly 100 hours surfing a hidden online network specializing in child pornography.

An FBI special agent says the secret nature of the website would make it difficult to discover accidentally.

According to charging papers, investigators found electronics they say held images depicting child rape and some images that showed infants being raped.

A school district spokeswoman says Michaud had not previously been the subject of any complaints in his 20 years with the district. He has no criminal history. He will be placed on administrative leave.