BELMONT, N.C. — A teacher from Gaston County who was arrested this summer for child sexual abuse material is facing new charges for allegedly distributing photos of his own students in his classroom.
Channel 9′s Ken Lemon obtained court documents accusing Kristopher Kirtley of multiple counts of “secret peeping.”
We reported in August when Kirtley was charged for allegedly sending and receiving explicit photos and videos of underage girls. He was charged with indecent liberties with a child and second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor.
[ PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Gaston County teacher arrested, charged with child sex offenses ]
According to new court documents obtained Friday, Kirtley is now accused of two counts of felony secret peeping.
Warrants say Kirtley used his cell phone to “secretly or surreptitiously take multiple photos of female students ... for the purpose of arousing his sexual desire.” The warrants say the pictures were taken while students were in his classroom at South Point High School in April of this year.
Investigators say Kirtley would then use Facebook Messenger to send the images to another person without the juvenile’s consent.
It’s not clear if the other person was officially identified by police, or if they were using a pseudonym.
Gaston County Schools never responded to Channel 9′s original request for a comment on Kirtley’s case back in August. While he was identified as a South Point High School business education teacher and wrestling coach this summer, he is no longer listed on the school’s directory.
According to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, Kirtley’s teaching license has been suspended pending the outcome of his criminal cases.
>>Watch Channel 9 at 5 p.m. for updates on this developing story.
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