Connecticut preschool teacher's aide faces child porn charges

By Richard Weizel WILTON Conn. (Reuters) - A Connecticut preschool teacher's aide has been charged with possessing and sharing child pornography, police said on Friday. Eric Von Kohorn, a 33-year-old Bridgeport resident who worked in the Wilton school system since 2007, was arrested late Wednesday and released on a $50,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear in Superior Court in Bridgeport on Sept. 3. School officials said they were told in June that Von Kohorn was the subject of a probe by the state police and the Department of Homeland Security. He was placed on administrative leave on June 11 and resigned five days later. It was not immediately known if Von Kohorn had a lawyer, and he could not be reached for comment. Kevin J. Smith, the Wilton school superintendent, sent a letter to parents and teachers advising them of the arrest. Smith said he waited for Von Kohorn's arrest before notifying the people in the mostly affluent town in southwestern Connecticut. “Connecticut State Police indicated they have no evidence to suggest Mr. Von Kohorn had any inappropriate involvement with children" in Wilton, Smith said in the letter. “The authorities shared that the charges stem from Mr. Von Kohorn’s behavior at his residence and not while he was at work,” Smith wrote. “We immediately placed him on administrative leave. He was removed from school grounds and not permitted to return.” Von Kohorn is charged with possession of child pornography in the first degree and promoting a minor in an obscene performance, according to the Connecticut State Police. (Reporting by Richard Weizel; Editing by Frank McGurty and Eric Beech)