News

High school math teacher charged with child pornography crimes

PITTSBURGH — A teacher in the Pittsburgh Public School District was arrested Friday on child pornography charges.

Adam Deutsch, 50, is a math teacher at Brashear High School, according to the Allegheny County district attorney’s office.

The criminal complaint says police began investigating after a report from Skype about alleged child pornography images. The images showed male children under the age of 18, authorities said.

Police said they linked the IP address used to upload the images to a Comcast account.

After a court order, Comcast identified the subscriber as Adam Deutsch, who lives in Allison Park.

“Floored, floored. I don’t know what to say,” said Lisa Maier, Deutsch’s neighbor. “I have a 13-year-old daughter and we lived across from the teacher for 15 years. Unbelievable.”

According to the criminal complaint, Deutsch admitted to sending the photos. He told police that he’s watched child pornography for the last 15-20 years.

He admitted to having as many as 60 images of child pornography on his flash drive and his laptop. The ages of the boys depicted in the child pornography are from infants to 13 to 14 years old, Deutsch told police.

Deutsch told police that he was molested for seven years when he was younger, but never reported it.  He said he has never touched a child, according to the criminal complaint.

Police said they also found suspected methamphetamine in Deutsch’s bedroom. The complaint says Deutsch admitted that the meth was his, and that he had been using it for “a long time.”

Deutsch has been teaching for the last 24 years, according to the criminal complaint. He has been a teacher at Brashear High School for the last five years.

A Pittsburgh Public Schools spokesperson told Channel 11's Damany Lewis Deutsch was placed on paid administrative leave Friday once the district became aware of the charges.

Deutsch is facing criminal charges of sexual abuse of children involving dissemination of photographs, videotapes, computer depictions and films; sexual abuse of children involving possession of child pornography; and criminal use of communication facility.