Elementary School Teacher Arrested by Texas Cyber Crimes Unit
The Police News
August 13, 2013
Former Elementary School Teacher Arrested by Texas Cyber Crimes Unit Sentenced to 60 Years in State Prison on Child Pornography Charges
Suspect indicted in 2009; possessed thousands of illicit images, video of children
AUSTIN – Stephen Wayne Sudduth, 38, of Sealy, today was sentenced to 60 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to three second-degree felony charges of child pornography promotion. Today’s sentencing stems from an investigation by the Texas Attorney General’s Cyber Crimes Unit, which arrested Sudduth on child pornography charges after discovering more than 57,000 illicit images and 1,000 videos on Sudduth’s computers and external media devices. Prior to his arrest in 2009, Sudduth was employed as an elementary school teacher.
The Cyber Crimes Unit’s 2009 investigation into Sudduth originated with a referral from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). Based on the NCMEC referral, Cyber Crimes Unit investigators identified Sudduth as the suspect who appeared to possess thousands of images and videos of child pornography. In October 2009, an Austin County grand jury indicted Sudduth on 30 counts of possession of child pornography and 10 counts of promotion of child pornography. Cyber Crimes Unit investigators arrested Sudduth after the felony indictments. Assistant Attorney General Brenda Cantu prosecuted the case.
In July 2009, Sudduth resigned from a Hays Consolidated Independent School District teaching job he was set to begin. Before he transferred to Hays Consolidated ISD, Sudduth was an elementary school teacher with the Katy Independent School District. Parents who have questions about this case may contact the Office of the Attorney General’s Criminal Investigations Division at (800) 252-8011.
Attorney General Abbott has earned a national reputation for his aggressive crackdown on sexual predators and child pornographers. Since Attorney General Abbott launched the Cyber Crimes Unit in 2003, state investigators have arrested more than 300 criminals for child pornography and using the Internet to prey on children. For more information about Attorney General Abbott’s ongoing effort to crack down on sexual predators, access the attorney general’s website at www.texasattorneygeneral.gov.
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