Former high school teacher charged with distributing child porn

Christopher Potter arrested at Jacksonville home, feds say

CLAY COUNTY, Fla. – A former Clay County high school teacher has been arrested and charged with distribution of child porn, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday. 

Christopher Potter, 49, of Jacksonville, faces a minimum mandatory sentence of five years, and a maximum of 20 years, in federal prison.

According to the complaint, in February, Potter began talking online with an undercover officer with the Orange Park Police Department, who was posing as a 14-year-old girl.

During the online conversations, investigators said, Potter requested photos and asked to meet the teen for sex.

According to investigators, Potter sent the undercover officer a video clip showing a young child being sexually abused and a video of Potter performing a sexual act. 

On Thursday, federal agents and other law enforcement officers said they executed a search warrant at Potter’s home and seized several computer devices and smartphones.

"It was really scary at first. We always knew something was creepy over there," said a woman named Savannah who lives nearby. "I have kids and to know what was going on in my cul-de-sac is disturbing."

According to the Department of Justice, Potter told the agents that he had worked as a teacher at Clay High School in Green Cove Springs from 2016 to 2017, and that he was a teacher at Orange Park High School from 1997 to 2004.   

Authorities said Potter has been detained pending a hearing on Sept. 26.

When News4Jax went to Potter's parents' home on Friday, his father answered the door but said he did not wish to comment about the arrest. 

The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Orange Park Police Department, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and the Palatka Police Department.


About the Author:

Corley Peel is a Texas native and Texas Tech graduate who covered big stories in Joplin, Missouri, Tulsa, Oklahoma and Jacksonville, Florida before returning to the Lone Star State. When not reporting, Corley enjoys hot yoga, Tech Football, and finding the best tacos in town.