Fourth-grade teacher charged with child porn possession

TENINO, Wash. -- A teacher at Tenino Elementary School was charged Thursday with possession of child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

James Donald Mobley, 46, was arrested Wednesday on a criminal complaint charging him with receipt and possession of child pornography.



According to records, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service uncovered Mobley after completing an investigation into an international company disturbing child pornography by mail. According to investigators, Mobley allegedly purchased multiple DVDs between February 2009 and January 2011.

"A lot of this material comes from the U.S. Mail  or comes through the U.S. Mail and because it’s such a high profile case it’s very important that we attack this as soon as possible  to try and get these individuals incarcerated,” U.S. Postal Inspection Service agent Dave Schoader said.

Police officers searched Mobley's home Wednesday and found a computer hard drive allegedly loaded with child pornography, and additional DVDs of child porn around the home.

Mobley spent the past 10 years as a 4th-grade teacher at Tenino Elementary school. Parents were shocked.

"It’s scary.  It’s really scary. You think you know a person. They have background checks and everything. I mean, we have to get a background check to volunteer at school, you know? So you just don’t know about people,” parent Melanie Rasmussen said.

Mobley was taken to the Federal Detention Center at SeaTac, and is waiting a hearing scheduled for Jan. 22.

Mobley was also actively engaged in Boy Scouts and worked as a private tutor, U.S. attorney Jenny Durkan said.

If convicted, Mobley faces five years in federal prison and could face state charges as well.

If parents have concerns or suspicions about Mobley, they are asked to call Tenino police.