KENOSHA, Wis. — Union Grove High School Superintendent Thomas Johnson entered not guilty pleas Thursday to two felony counts of possession of child pornography.
"We've entered a plea of not guilty. Tom Johnson is entitled to the presumption of innocence," said Patrick Cafferty, attorney for Johnson following Thursday's hearing.
Johnson is out of custody on a $250,000 cash bond and is on unpaid leave from his role with the school district.
The investigation into Johnson began Oct. 22 when an anonymous letter was sent to the Racine County Sheriff's Office, reportedly written by a Union Grove Elementary School teacher who claimed to be having an affair with Johnson, according to the criminal complaint.
The complaint said the writer of the letter claimed to have seen text messages "from what I think are passed or current students that are inappropriate" on Johnson's phone. The letter also indicated there were pictures as well and said Johnson threatened the letter writer's career.
Kenosha County
Union Grove High School superintendent charged in child pornography case
During a forensic search of Johnson's phone, investigators said they found two images of nude underage girls.
"We look forward to presenting his side of the story when the time is appropriate, but, right now, we are very early and don't have all of the information that we need to be able to do that," Cafferty said Thursday.
When asked if Johnson has a message to share with Union Grove families, Cafferty replied, "What he says is he is presumed innocent and he has entered a plea of not guilty."
Johnson is expected back in Kenosha County court for a judicial pretrial on Jan. 4 at 10:30 a.m.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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