Police determine Salem-Keizer student pretending to be teacher sent explicit photos

Bill Poehler and Natalie Pate, Salem Statesman Journal
·2 min read
A former Boy Scout leader from Salem was arraigned Monday on charges that he sexually abused an 11-year-old boy in 2017 and continued to stalk him through social media for years after the abuse took place.

Salem Police said in a statement on Wednesday that they won't charge a Salem-Keizer Public Schools middle school teacher who was accused of sending an inappropriate image to a student.

According to an email from Salem Police Department spokesperson Angela Hedrick, police were informed on March 29 that a teacher had sent sexually explicit images to “at least one SKPS student via the social media platform SnapChat.”

The school principal notified families at the time that there had been a report of an inappropriate image believed to be a staff member being shared on social media, and that some students had seen the image. The letter stated the teacher had been put on administrative leave while an investigation was conducted.

According to police, detectives determined the images were actually sent by a student in the district who was pretending to be the teacher.

That student has been referred to the Marion County Juvenile Department with a charge of unlawful dissemination of an intimate image.

The teacher in question, Dean Wright, has remained on administrative leave since March 28.

Wright, now in his fifth year of teaching, said he hadn't heard from the district or the police regarding the investigation as of Wednesday afternoon. He declined to answer questions from the Statesman Journal about some of the details of the case.

“I have been grateful for the Salem Police Department throughout this process,” Wright said. “I've been shown respect throughout the entire process. I have always felt like they've always wanted to know the truth. And I really appreciate that.

“It has been important for me to continue to be with my family, to support my family in every way possible,” he said, “and to continue to follow the values that I've set for myself.”

Wright grew up in the Portland area and studied at Western Oregon University. He said he did his student teaching in Salem-Keizer and “knew that this was where I wanted my career to be.”

He plans to stay in Salem-Keizer if and when he is permitted to return.

Salem-Keizer Public Schools communications director Sylvia McDaniel confirmed Wright remains on administrative leave.

"Our procedure is still ongoing and is separate from the police investigation," she said in a statement to the Statesman Journal. "The staff member was placed on administrative leave and will remain on administrative leave while the district completes its review. This is standard practice."

Bill Poehler covers Marion County for the Statesman Journal. Contact him at bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Salem Police: Student pretending to be teacher sent explicit Snapchat photos