Former teacher charged with possessing child porn
EDINBURG — A former schoolteacher convicted of soliciting minors online has been indicted for possession of child pornography.
Clad in a powder blue Oxford shirt and blue slacks, Abel Castro stood with his hands behind his back at his arraignment Tuesday in the 398th state District Court.
Judge Aída Salinas Flores formally charged Castro on one count of possession of child pornography, a third-degree felony.
Investigators with the Texas Attorney General's Office arrested Castro on June 24, 2010, on the charge of soliciting a minor online.
Authorities said they also found two sexually suggestive photographs of nude boys while searching his McAllen home, an indictment states.
Castro was one of five men arrested in a sweep by the Attorney General's Office targeting online predators.
Castro pleaded guilty in March to soliciting a minor online. He was sentenced to 10 years’ probation, a $750 fine, forfeiture of his teaching license and a requirement to register as a sex offender.
Castro taught mathematics at South Middle School in Edinburg. He was a 13-year veteran teacher, court records show.
A grand jury returned the indictment April 13 against Castro. Because he had no criminal record prior to his arrest last June, the former teacher was released on a $10,000 personal recognizance bond.
If convicted of possession of child pornography, Castro could spend up to 10 years in prison and be fined $10,000.
A pretrial hearing in the case is set for May 19.
