PORT HARDY—A former teacher in the School District 85 (Vancouver Island North) system has been charged on two counts of possession of child pornography, RCMP and school district officials announced.
Timothy Josephy Ouellette, 45, has been charged with possession of child pornography and with possession for the purpose of distribution or sale, said Cpl. Daren Lagan, media relations officer with the Island District RCMP.
Ouellette faces an initial court appearance date Nov. 20 at the Provincial Courthouse in Port Hardy.
No local children were victimized, and Ouellette no longer works for the district.
Ouellette was initially arrested without incident at his home on Beach Drive in Port McNeill on March 29, 2012, following an investigation by the B.C. Integrated Child Exploitation Unit on the Lower Mainland. That unit contacted Port McNeill RCMP, which carried out the search and arrest warrants
Mr. Ouellette was suspended from his teaching position the following day, said Katherine McIntosh, SD 85 assistant superintendent. She added Ouellette is no longer employed by the Board of Education.
The suspect was released on a promise to appear, and given the conditions that he not be in contact with any person under age 14 and have no access to the internet, whether by computer or any other device, including hand-held.
Following a continued investigation, Crown laid charges on Nov. 9.
The Port McNeill RCMP has also confirmed that it has no evidence to suggest that any children were victimized locally and, to date, the School District has not been part of the investigation; however, if requested, it will cooperate fully with the authorities, McIntosh said.
The Board of Education shares the concerns of parents and the community about the safety of students in our schools and deeply regrets that a member of the teaching profession has been charged with these crimes.
Asked if Ouellette used any school computers to access or distribute child pornography, McIntosh said, “We have had no indication of that, or that any local children were victimized.”
Oullette was in the second year of his contract with School District 85 at the time of his arrest. He worked as a teacher teaching on-call (TTOC), instructing in technology in multiple schools in the district.
The School District worked with the Teacher Regulation Branch and the local teachers’ association to ensure that all proper regulatory procedures and processes were followed, the school district stated in a written release.
If any member of the community has information relating to these charges, please contact the Port McNeill RCMP at 250-956-4441.