Former Chicago-area tutor arrested in child porn case
GRANTS, N.M. — A New Mexico man who worked as a tutor in the Chicago area has been charged in a massive child porn ring. Authorities say the suspect talked about raping and cooking children and was an aspiring horror writer.
The Gallup Independent reports that Richard Dates posted a vampire story on the writing website Helium. In his story, a vampire father and son raid a hospital of blood.
The 67-year-old was charged last week with possessing child pornography in an international investigation that began in Massachusetts.
Dates, has been identified as a former Cibola Beacon reporter. His LinkedIn page, however, has him starting work at the paper in March and does not show and end date. A story on the paper's website called him a part-time employee. The story says that “two agents from the U.S. Homeland Security Office visited the Beacon at approximately 2 p.m. on Aug. 23. The agents made the publisher aware that Richard Dates, 67, who had been a part-time Beacon employee for approximately five months, was being investigated for child pornography.”
He worked as a science teacher in New Mexico and a tutor in the Chicago area. His LinkedIn page indicates he tutored in math, science, and language arts between 1980 and 1992.
Dates told federal agents that he had used a photo editing program on several photos of butchered body parts, sending them out online.
He is being held without bond and is seeking court appointed attorney.