Paul McKibben reports:
A federal judge on Tuesday sentenced a former Lakota school district teacher to 15 years in prison for child pornography crimes.
Ryan Brant Fahrenkamp, 43, of Mason, pleaded guilty last August in U.S. District Court to one count of transportation of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. He admitted he kept sexual images of children on his school-issued laptop computer and he used the computer to access pornographic websites.
Fahrenkamp said in court documents he took inappropriate photos of a boy during an out-of-state trip. The boy is a former student, according to court documents.
Fahrenkamp most recently taught fifth grade at Endeavor Elementary School in West Chester Township, working 14 years in the Lakota district.
Lakota officials contacted West Chester Township Police in May 2010 about an internal investigation of Fahrenkamp. A parent had complained to school officials about Fahrenkamp texting her sixth-grade child without her permission, according to court documents. Previously, the school reprimanded him for inappropriately communicating with a student. The texts weren’t sexual in nature.
Fahrenkamp’s school laptop had images of what appeared to be shirtless underage males, some of whom previously attended the school where he taught.
Police searched a motel where Fahrenkamp was residing. Police found a digital camera. The laptop computer and the camera’s storage card had more than 600 images and a video of child pornography.
Fahrenkamp has been in custody since his January 2011 arrest.
Judge Herman Weber sentenced Fahrenkamp to 15 years for transportation of child pornography and 10 years for possession of child pornography. The sentences will run concurrently.
After being released from prison, Fahrenkamp will have to register as a sex offender. He cannot access a computer or have contact with minors, either online or physically while under lifetime court supervision.
“Fahrenkamp is not the typical child pornographer this court has dealt with previously,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy Muncy wrote in a pre-sentencing memorandum filed with the court. “Fahrenkamp was a trusted educator in his community. He violated that trust by subjecting former pupils to sexual abuse.”
Dan Horn contributed
