Teacher pleads not guilty
July 5, 2012
By Sebastian Moraga
Ted Bernstein, a Snoqualmie Valley School District substitute teacher from North Bend, pleaded not guilty to two counts of possession of child pornography July 2.
King County Superior Court judge Ronald Kessler released Bernstein, 64, but ordered him to be monitored electronically and forbade him from leaving his home or having any contact with children. Bernstein also had to surrender his passport, and may not use the Internet or consume alcohol, according to court documents.
“It’s pretty standard that there be a not-guilty plea at the time of the arraignment,” said Dan Donohoe, spokesman for the King County Prosecutor’s Office. “And we will proceed with the prosecution of the defendant.”
Removal of or tampering with the electronic monitoring device will land Bernstein in jail, documents stated.
A pretrial hearing has been set for July 17, Donohoe said.
Pretrial hearings usually serve as a chance to set a trial date. Such hearings often get continued a couple of times.
Bernstein faces a range of 26 months to 34 months in prison. A conviction for child porn possession, a class B felony, carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
The case against Bernstein started after King County Sheriff’s Office detectives were informed of a link to a child porn website on Bernstein’s Facebook page.
A subsequent search of his house and computers yielded images and videos of children in provocative poses as well as literature containing descriptions of the rape and mutilation of children, according to court documents.
Sebastian Moraga: 392-6434, ext. 221, or smoraga@snovalleystar.com. Comment at www.snovalleystar.com.
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