| Aug 5, 2005 Former teacher ordered jailed pending child porn charges Associated Press BRIDGEPORT, Conn. -- A retired Westport teacher was ordered jailed and placed on suicide watch Friday, two days after investigators said they found thousands of pornographic images of children in his home. Paul Held, 67, was arrested at his home in Westport Tuesday after he inadvertently left a CD full of child pornography, including what appeared to be lewd pictures of schoolchildren, in a computer he borrowed from a neighbor, federal investigators said. "My apologies for being so stupid," Held told family members who attended Friday's hearing. He is charged with possession and distribution of child pornography. Held has not yet entered a plea in the case and his lawyer, William Westcott, quickly told him not to say such things in court Friday. Held, who appeared in court wearing khaki prison pants and a white T-shirt, agreed not to fight a government request that he be imprisoned while he awaits trial. Wescott said Held is suffering from depression. A former teacher at Bedford Middle School, Held left thousands of sexual images of children as young as 2 years old on a laptop he borrowed last fall from a neighbor who lived near Held's second home in Danby, Vt., according to court documents unsealed Wednesday. "Some of the photographs also appeared to have been taken underneath school desks of unsuspecting female adolescents who were wearing skirts and dresses," Jolinda L. Wnuk, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, wrote in an affidavit. Westcott said Friday he had not seen any evidence in the case and did not know whether Held's former students were allegedly photographed. Investigators said Held admitted taking some explicit pictures of children at his home but did not say whether Held is suspected of photographing his students. Investigators were reviewing thousands of other pornographic items seized from Held's house and have said additional charges were possible. Had Held not agreed to be jailed, prosecutors were ready to argue Friday that he was a flight risk and a danger to the community. Held retired from teaching after 2003, according to court records. http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/local/state/hc-05150143.apds.m0774.bc-ct--tea caug05,0,5947606.story?coll=hc-headlines-local-wire |