Math teacher secretly filmed students, child porn found on his phone, NC sheriff says
A high school math teacher in the North Carolina mountains was arrested after authorities accused him of secretly filming and photographing students and child porn was found on his phone.
The pornography on Madison High School teacher Robert Burnette’s phone depicted no Madison County students, Sheriff Buddy Harwood said on Facebook late Thursday.
The investigation started immediately after someone complained Tuesday about the filming and photographing to school administrators and a sheriff’s resource officer, Harwood said.
The school is in Marshall, about 150 miles northwest of Charlotte.
North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation agents helped uncover the child porn on Burnette’s cell phone, according to the sheriff.
Sheriff’s investigators arrested Burnette and charged him with six felony counts of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor; three felony counts of secretly using a photographic imaging device to view another’s body or undergarments; 22 felony counts of possessing a photographic image obtained in violation of the peeping statute; and 16 felony counts of secretly using or installing a photographic imaging device to arouse or gratify sexual desire.
Burnette was placed in the Yancey County jail on a $325,000 secured bond, according to the sheriff. He was suspended from his job and ordered to stay off county schools property pending the outcome of the case, Harwood said.
Burnette couldn’t be reached by The Charlotte Observer on Saturday.
The sheriff’s office also has contacted federal agents for help in the ongoing investigation, Harwood said.
This story was originally published May 28, 2022 at 1:46 PM with the headline "Math teacher secretly filmed students, child porn found on his phone, NC sheriff says."