A high school teacher in North Carolina has been arrested and charged with 10 felony counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor. He was arrested on Thursday when police executed a search warrant at his home.
Geoffrey Craig Hightower, 36, who has been suspended from teaching at Smithfield-Selma High School in North Carolina, appeared in court on Friday. Garner police and other authorities searched an apartment on the 900 block of 7th Avenue in Garner, North Carolina.
An arrest warrant stated that Hightower “unlawfully, willfully, and feloniously did duplicate material containing a visual representation of a minor, unknown approximately 6-9 years old, engaged in sexual activity," according to CBS 17.
The warrant added that the images were under the file name, “NEW 2016 Pedo Childlover 8yo Daddy’s Little Girl Pics." During Hightower's court appearance on Friday Wake County District Court Judge Rashad Hauter listed off the 10 charges of sexual exploitation and stated, “Those are class E felonies with the enhancement for the sex offense. You [Hightower] face a maximum punishment of 136 months on each of those counts."
Hightower is being held in jail with a $500,000 secured bond and has been ordered to have no contact with anyone under the age of 18 years old. Garner police stated that they worked with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) on the case.
Hightower asked for an attorney in the case and his next hearing is scheduled for Sept. 12. Garner police have said that he may face more charges in the case.
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