Cobb County

Teen accused of having, trading child porn allowed to go back to school after arrest, parents say

COBB COUNTY, Ga. — A 17-year-old Cobb County student is facing child porn charges and parents say he is still being allowed to show up to class.

Theodore Poulos is accused of collecting child pornography over a two-year period. He was arrested earlier this year but is currently out on bond.

The Kell High School student admitted to investigators that he had videos of child sexual abuse on his cellphone, in a folder that requires a password and we learned some of it was traded on Snapchat.

Investigators say they found multiple videos of boys engaging in sex acts with adult men.

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Channel 2′s Michele Newell spoke to upset parents who said Poulos is still going to school, and they want to know why.

Christina Smith is worried about her sister, who attends Kell High School with Poulos.

“It’s affecting my little sister day-to-day,” Smith said. “She’s anxious, she can’t focus on school work because she shares classes with this person.”

Smith said Poulos never faced disciplinary action from the school. She sent Newell emails she sent to the Cobb County School District, and said they were ignored.

“It’s very frustrating, because we are not even asking about the details that are going on with the student,” Smith said. “We are asking what they are doing to protect our students.”

Newell asked the school district what disciplinary actions are taken against students who face serious criminal charges like this.

A district spokesperson told Newell they can’t share specifics with her due to state and federal privacy laws. They also said the safety and security of students is the district’s highest priority and there are policies in place to keep students safe.

Smith wants the district to remove Poulos from school or move him to an online school option.

Poulos’ attorney, Lawrence Zimmerman, sent Newell a statement Monday night, saying:

“This young man is a solid student. We plan to vigorously investigate and defend these charges and he is presumed innocent.”

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Michele Newell

Michele Newell, WSB-TV

Michele Newell has been part of the WSB-TV family since November 2021. Before moving to Atlanta, Michele worked at TV news stations in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Columbus, Ohio and Steubenville, Ohio.