Former school teacher charged in child pornography case

(WXYZ) - A former Fraser school teacher who has already been charged in a drug case is now facing federal child pornography charges.

Gregory Austin was originally arrested by the Roseville Police Department on March 19. During the course of that investigation police searched Austin's cell phone.

Officers say that during that search they discovered "numerous" images of suspected child pornography. Detectives also say they found non-pornographic, but still inappropriate, pictures of minors, as well as sexual text messages that appear to involve minors and two pornographic videos, one of which depicted a minor.

It was at this point that the investigation was turned over to the FBI Southeast Michigan Crimes Against Children Taskforce.

They reviewed the pictures along with Fraser Police and the Fraser School District and identified 12 individuals as minors and students currently enrolled in the Fraser School District.

Austin was a teacher in the Fraser district until his arrest on the drug charges in March.

He was arrested and charged in the child pornography case on Monday. He has been charged with production, receipt and possession of child pornography.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact the FBI at (313) 965-2323.

Meantime, Fraser Public Schools issued the following statement:

Fraser Public Schools was notified that one of its former teachers, Mr. Greg Austin, was charged today with production, receipt and possession of child pornography following an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Mr. Austin's employment ended with the District effective March 28, 2012. The District has not been provided with the names of any Fraser students that may have been involved. The District will be providing both academic and counseling support services for any Fraser student found to have been affected. The District cooperated fully with the authorities during their investigation.

Superintendent Dr. David Richards stated, "In unusual cases such as this, our first priority is to follow policies and procedures that ensure the safety and support of our students."

In responding to questions regarding the details of the case, Superintendent Richards noted, "While it is human nature to want to discuss these types of allegations, our policy is clear: We will not speculate or comment further when a criminal investigation is underway. We are collaborating fully with the authorities and any further speculation would be inappropriate."

District officials emphasized that they were not a law enforcement agency and, as a result, questions regarding the investigation should be directed to the proper authorities. School policy dictates that officials not speculate or comment further when an ongoing investigation is underway.