Seaside P. E. Teacher Arrested with Child Pornography

Mr. Forstell taken into custody at school.

SEASIDE—The officials of Martin Luther King Elementary School will have to be looking for a new physical education teacher for the next school year after their current teacher was arrested on child pornography charges.

Nathan Forstell, 44

The San Jose Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force arrested 44-year-old San Jose resident, Nathan Forstell, outside the Elementary School as he came to work on Wednesday morning.

The detectives with the San Jose Police Departments Internet Crimes Unit began investigating Forstell after they received information that he was in possession of child pornography.  Police obtained a search warrant for Forstell’s home in San Jose and seized his computer, where they located child pornography.

Forstell worked at various schools within the Alum Rock Union School District as a substitute teacher, from 2008-2011, before becoming a full time physical education teacher at Martin Luther King Elementary School in Seaside. He had recently moved from San Jose to Seaside to live with his brother during the week while working at the Elementary School.

Forstell was a P. E. teacher at Martin Luther King Elementary School

Mr. Forstell had over 1000 images in both video and pictures of child pornography on his home computer and the detectives are still trying to determine the identity of the children from the evidence collected. The ages of the victims ranged in age of 4-to-9 years old.  Authorities do not believe that any of the children were from the Monterey County or from Martin Luther King Elementary School.

“Mr. Forstell did not participate in the making of the pornography,” San Jose Police Officer Albert Morales said. “He has been arrested just for receiving the pornographic material.”

Forstell was booked into the Santa Clara County Jail and charged with the possession of child pornography but was released on his own recognizance.

However, on Thursday afternoon, the emergency medical personnel responded to Forstell’s home on La Pala Drive in San Jose on a medical emergency.  Police determined that this was an attempted suicide and he was taken to a local hospital and put on a 72-hour suicide watch.

Anyone with information about this case is encouraged to contact the San Jose Police Department at 1-408-537-1381.

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