SAN DIEGO (CNS) - A former associate principal at Hoover High School pleaded guilty Thursday to a federal count of possessing child sex abuse material.
Charles Thomas Boyd Defreitas admitted possessing videos and images on a laptop, cellphone and four USB thumb drives that depicted juveniles engaged in sexual conduct.
A plea agreement states the offense he pleaded guilty to involves more than 600 images of child sex abuse material and that Defreitas was aware that at least one of the people depicted in the material was under the age of 12.
Defreitas was arrested last year after San Diego police said a minor reported that he "sent and requested illicit images via a social media app."
He initially faced three felony sex crime counts in state court, but his state case was dismissed last year and federal prosecutors took over the case. The federal complaint filed against him states that the criminal investigation was spurred by "reports" that he had "inappropriate contact with minors."
Defreitas is scheduled to be sentenced in August in San Diego federal court.
Police said De Freitas had worked within the San Diego Unified School District for over 13 years, where he served as an administrator at Hoover High, and previously as a teacher at the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts.
A San Diego Unified spokesperson said Thursday that Defreitas is no longer employed with the district. He had been on an unpaid leave of absence following his arrest, but resigned last week.
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