Former teacher pleads guilty in child porn case
By Jack Stephens
Published in News on April 8, 2005 1:46 PM
A former Greenwood Middle School teacher was sentenced Thursday afternoon to probation after pleading guilty in Wayne County Superior Court to three charges of distributing pornographic photos of children on the Internet.
Hugh Pate Jr., 52, of N.C. 111 North, was indicted by a Wayne County grand jury on 48 charges -- 24 counts each of second-degree exploitation of a minor and third-degree exploitation of a minor.
Pate pleaded guilty to three counts of second-degree exploitation of a minor in a negotiated plea arrangement between his lawyer, Geoff Hulse, and the prosecutor, Assistant District Attorney Jan Kroboth.
Judge Jerry Braswell sentenced Pate to three consecutive terms of 10 to 12 months in prison. The sentences were suspended on the condition that Pate complete 36 months of supervised probation, serve 100 hours of community service, continue medical treatment, not be involved with minor children at his job, register as a sex offender and pay $1,500 in fines, plus court costs.
Special Agent Kelly Moser of the State Bureau of Investigation said that between Jan. 1, 2004, and Oct. 12, 2004, Pate possessed and distributed video images of girls between the ages of 5 and 16 engaging in sexual acts with men.