Kentucky school principal who banned books for 'homosexual content' arrested on child pornography charges
WINCHESTER, KENTUCKY: A Kentucky school principal has been arrested and charged after the authorities found him to be in possession of numerous images depicting child pornography.
Phillip Todd Wilson, a principal of the Clark County Area Technology Center located on the George Rogers Clark High School campus, came to the attention of the state troopers this past week after they received a complaint from someone at the school, according to WKYT.
The complainant alleged that they had seen Wilson giving child pornography to someone else at the school. In Wilson's arrest citation, officials said they found approximately 15 child pornography images on him.
Wilson was charged with 15 counts of distribution of matter portraying sexual performance by a minor, and 15 counts of possessing matter portraying sexual performance by a minor, and was arraigned in court on Wednesday, August 28, where he was assigned a public defender.
The public defender requested his client's $25,000 bond to be reduced to 10 percent of the total because he wasn't a flight risk. The judge denied the request and placed him back into the custody of the Clark County Detention Center.
Wilson was also ordered to have no contact with children or Clark County public schools.
Following Wilson's arrest and arraignment, the Kentucky Department of Education, which operates the Clark County Area Technology Center, announced that he had been "placed on leave effective immediately."
They said they would cooperate fully with law enforcement and that their first "priority is ensuring the safety and well-being of our students."
Clark County Public Schools released a similar statement and said the district was "shocked and dismayed" at the allegations brought against the principal, and said they are working with law enforcement in the course of their investigation in this matter.
"The Clark County Public School System remains committed to the safety and security of its teachers and students and will continue to provide resources to ensure their well-being," the statement said. "We will continue to provide educational opportunities for our students to prepare them to be college and career ready."
Wilson had also previously worked with Montgomery County and Madison County school districts, and also as a referee with the Kentucky High School Athletic Association.
He is no stranger to controversy either. Back in 2009, he came under heavy criticism for choosing to ban a number of books written by authors such as Jo Knowles, Chris Crutcher, Laurie Halse Anderson, and Neal Schusterman from the classroom for "homosexual content."