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Polk Principal Charged With Child Porn Possession

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By BILLY TOWNSEND | The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 21, 2007

Updated: 12/21/2007 03:37 pm

BARTOW - A Polk County principal was arrested today after deputies found pictures of a childlike naked woman with the head of a girl superimposed on the image, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said.

   John Stelmack

Scott Lake Elementary Principal John Stelmack, 60, was suspended with pay a week ago today after the Polk County School District began an investigation into his conduct around students, Judd said.

District officials searched his office at the Lakeland school. They found a black briefcase with photos of naked young women positioned to look like children. The district then contacted the sheriff's office.

Four copies of a picture of naked women with the head a 10-year-old girl superimposed on the images were found inside, Judd said. The girl was a Scott Lake Elementary student.

There was no indication the student was harmed by Stelmack, Judd said. The photo was from an innocent picture of her. She now is a sixth-grader at an area middle school.

Judd said investigators have spoken with the girl's parents, but the child probably will not have to be involved in the case. "There's no reason to upset the girl," Judd said.

Deputies recovered another adult-child picture, but the superimposed face is not thought to be of a local girl, Judd said.

Stelmack is married and has two adult children, sheriff's spokeswoman Carrie Rodgers said. He came to Polk County from the New York state school system. The 2006-07 school year was his first at Scott Lake.

He has been charged with five counts of possession of child pornography, and bail will be set at $100,000, Rodgers said.

Detectives are serving a search warrant at his home, and further charges could be filed if anything is found, Rodgers said.

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