PITTSBURGH — A Pittsburgh-area substitute school teacher accused of sharing child pornography on Twitter faced a judge Tuesday.
The Allegheny County District Attorney's Office said it found more than a dozen sexually explicit photos of children in Matthew Sokol’s home.
Investigators said Sokol, 25, told police he was able to keep his "fetish" separate from his job. He also told officers he didn't take the photographs or have sex with any of the children depicted.
Sokol has denied taking pictures of the seventh- and eighth-grade students he taught as a substitute in the Baldwin-Whitehall School District just south of the city, although county detectives said the pictures he was caught sending contain children of that age group, down to 8 years old.
At his preliminary hearing on Tuesday, a judge refused to lower his $500,000 bond.
“I think for these kind of cases, the bond was excessive,” said Sokol’s attorney, Savid Shrager. “My client is 25 years of age, has no prior criminal record and has significant ties to the community.
The judge ruled if Sokol can post bont, he must get mental health treatment and he’s not allowed on any school’s property.
“The court made their decision. Obviously, I’m disappointed with that decision,” said Shrager.
Sokol’s next hearing is scheduled for Dec. 4.
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