A Chula Vista Elementary School District teacher was arrested and booked into county jail last Friday on pornography charges.
John Raymond Kinloch was taken into custody by investigators from the San Diego Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force at his home on charges including posing as a child and luring children online and possession of child pornography.
The charges stem from a 1990s case in Staffordshire, England, in which Kinloch was a person of interest, but in exchange for testifying against an acquaintance accused of trafficking child porn on the Internet, received immunity from any charges himself.
Kinloch, 41, is a first grade teacher at Wolf Canyon Elementary School in Chula Vista and previously taught at Feaster Charter School.
Kinloch’s past has district personnel and teachers concerned about how Kinloch slipped through the cracks.
“To be frank it was a shock and a concern,” district spokesman Anthony Millican said. “In 1999 when Mr. Kinloch was hired, he passed on background checks as required by law. These include the FBI, California Department of Justice and the California Teacher Credentialing Commission. Of course we’re left wondering, how on earth could he have passed these backgrounds.”
Millican said his past should have been a red flag for any major employer.
“As part of our investigation we requested that our legal counsel determine how this individual’s background check failed to include any reference to the international incident of 1998,” Millican said. “If the district had had knowledge of this incident he would not have been eligible for employment.”
Millican said the district plans to work directly with the commission to give them practical tips for credential processing.
Wolf Canyon principal Debra McLaren sent a parent letter out on Friday informing them of the news and on Monday the district held a meeting at the school.
“As for now, teachers and staff are back to the business of educating students.”
Millican said in the interim the district is focusing on a universal safety message.
“The discussion now is really about Internet safety, talking to children about what is appropriate to post on the Internet and having parents monitor all Internet usage,” Millican said.
In addition, he said the district is working closely with law enforcement on any potential charges that may involve the school district.
While a history major at San Diego State University in 1998, Kinloch met Christopher Wrigley online and exchanged nude photos of minors.
Further investigation revealed that Kinloch had created profiles as young girls on MeetMe, formally known as MyYearbook, and solicited young boys to send their naked photographs to him.
Kinloch has been placed on paid administrative leave, during which time a substitute teacher has been assigned to the classroom.
