NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) — An ex-substitute teacher accused of possessing child pornography was employed by the Newport News school system at the time of the alleged offenses, according to court documents.
Michael Scott Porter, 50, is charged with three counts of possession of child pornography. The Newport News Police Department’s investigation into Porter began on March 8 — when he was still working as a substitute for the city’s school system.
The NNPD investigated Porter for seven months after they received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. That tip showed that a Microsoft OneDrive user in Newport News had uploaded and viewed child pornography, according to court documents.
The pornographic image showed a “prepubescent or early pubescent” juvenile female exposed on a bed, court documents state.
Further investigation showed that the account that had uploaded and viewed the child pornography in March belonged to Porter. Police searched the account for other evidence and found two other images of child pornography, including a juvenile engaged in a sex act, according to court documents.
The Newport News Police Department’s Special Victim’s Unit searched Porter’s home on Nov. 9 and took several items, including two laptops, five hard drives, three iPads, seven cellphones, three flash drives and a Sony Handycam, according to court documents.
A spokeswoman for the Newport News confirmed that Porter worked as a substitute from August 2017 to August 2018, adding that all employees must pass a national background check and a statewide check with Child Protective Services.
Porter also worked for the Mid-Atlantic Teen Challenge in the late 90s. He was also screened before being hired there, the executive director told 10 On Your Side.