Officials answer questions in Antioch teacher porn case

Nearly 200 people learned what school officials and the police are doing in the wake of the arrest of seventh-grade teacher Kenneth Lee Johnson on charges of possessing child pornography.

Antioch School District 34 Superintendent Scott Thompson, Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran, Antioch Police Chief James Foerester, crisis counselors from the Special Education District of Lake County and other police officials answered questions, received praise and took some heat from parents during the gathering at the Antioch Upper Grade School Wednesday night.

Johnson, a 20-year social studies teacher at the school, was arrested and charged with 10 counts of possession of child pornography on Monday. More than 1,000 pictures and nearly 100 video clips of child pornography were discovered in Johnson's Wauconda apartment, police said. All the children in the pictures were boys who ranged in age from infants to 15-year-olds.

Parents, for the most part, seemed satisfied with how officials handled the incident, but some expressed frustration on how and when their children heard the news.

"I am absolutely furious right now," said a mother who asked that her name not be used. "Why was I not informed and given the opportunity to be with my child when she received the information? Why was the news media made aware before we were? That is unacceptable."

Thompson answered by saying the school was cooperating with the sheriff's department's investigation and was following their lead on when to go public with the news.

Johnson, a teacher since 1989, told detectives he has sexually abused boys for the last 35 years and that many of the victims were in his Wauconda neighborhood and within the Antioch area, police said. That fact prompted one parent to ask if there were any warning signs raised by Johnson's behavior or personality.

"There were no red flags," Thompson said. "This was just an aberration that was under the radar."

Curran, Foerester and Thompson assured parents that at this time, they believe that no student was harmed by Johnson. "We are supremely confident that no student was hurt," Foerester said.

The SEDOL crisis counselors said they've met with a number of students. "They are looking for reassurance for their own safety," said counselor Barbe Hagestrom. "They are also saying they really don't understand what exactly happened."

Curran said Johnson may be charged with additional counts of possession and possibly with the manufacture of child pornography. Johnson is in the Lake County jail on $500,000 bond. His next court date is on Feb. 18. If convicted, he faces no less than two years and no more than five years in prison for each count of child pornography possession.

The loudest applause came when a dad complimented the police and school administrators for making the best of a very bad situation. "This could have happened anywhere," he said. "You guys have handled this in the best way possible."

Answers: More charges possible, sheriff says