CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga.,None — The Cherokee County School District said its Police Department has launched an internal investigation after the arrest of Raymond "Robin" Watts on federal charges of possession and distribution of child pornography.
Watts was an eighth-grade science teacher at Mill Creek Middle School in Woodstock.
District leaders told Channel 2 Action News investigative reporter Jodie Fleischer that they want to make sure the allegations against Watts do not involve school children or school equipment.
"I never had him as a teacher, but when I found out that he did that kind of stuff, that kind of creeped me out," said eighth-grader David Gonzalez.
Prosecutors confirmed Watts was part of the international Boylover Network that Channel 2 first exposed back in 2009 after raids at the metro area homes of two of the website's leaders.
Dale Hodges and Joseph Gittings already pleaded guilty. Evidence in their cases alleged that they shared images with a man known only as Robin. Agents with Immigration Customs Enforcement also knew Robin had written a book about sharks.
"It took a lot of really innovative thinking on the part of these federal agents to get this far and this quickly," said Assistant United States Attorney Jill Steinberg.
Agents came across the book "Incident at Latitude 25 North" by Robin St. Taw -- Watts spelled backwards. Then another Boylover member denied knowing Robin, but his GPS favorites led to Robin Watts' home. An undercover agent friended Robin St. Taw on Facebook, met at Watts' home and left with a thumb drive of more than 1,000 images, including child pornography and erotica.
"It was a great challenge to put an undercover agent in that kind of position, to be interacting in person with a potential target and to be acting as that person's friend for a period of time," said Steinberg.
When agents found out Watts was an eighth-grade teacher, they moved quickly to make an arrest.
"It's absolutely essential when you're aware of someone who may have a sexual interest in minors and have that kind of position, with respect to kids of that age," said Steinberg, especially since records show the Boylover Network encouraged members to supply original pornographic material.
Right now, prosecutors said they have no evidence of Watts producing any of the photos, but they are looking into that.
"I had no idea about anything about children; that's kind of scary," said Mike Johnson, who lives right next door to Watts' home in Bartow County.
He said Watts seemed a little secretive, but friendly. He was also Facebook friends with Watts but had read Watts' books so never questioned his use of an alias.
According to court records, Watts told an agent he, at one point, inadvertently left a thumb drive with pictures at Middle School. He said no one found it, but he was worried until he was able to retrieve it.
The Cherokee County School District said Watts will be reassigned to a position away from children, if he posts bond.
"You never expect that to happen from a cool teacher," said Gonzalez.
Watts will remain in jail pending a detention hearing on Tuesday.
WSBTV
