A former elementary school teacher in Port McNeill has been charged with possessing and distributing child pornography. Timothy Joseph Ouellette was suspended from the Vancouver Island North school district in March after police searched his home and arrested him.
The Crown prosecutors office charged Ouellette, 45, on Friday with possessing child pornography for the purposes of distribution. Mounties have no evidence suggesting Ouellette had harmed any students in the district in the two years he worked there as an on-call teacher.
We were very pleased to hear that, said Katherine McIntosh, the school districts assistant superintendent. The safety of our students is our top priority.As a substitute teacher, Ouellette was regularly in classrooms at both the elementary and secondary school levels.
McIntosh says the community is shocked by the news.Our board shares parents concerns that someone in our profession would be charged with these crimes, she said. She wants to remind the public that the district puts prospective employees through rigorous screening before hiring them.
Reports of Ouellettes activity came to the provinces integrated child exploitation unit, which promptly informed Port McNeill RCMP.
The joint investigation started March 28, according to a news release, and Ouellette was arrested the next day.
Ouellette is on bail and is restricted from being near children under 14. He also has restricted access to the Internet.
He is scheduled to appear in Port Hardy court Nov. 20. Police say Ouellette no longer lives in Port McNeill.
