A Delaware County Sunday school teacher who pleaded guilty earlier this year to child pornography charges must spend at least six months in custody.
Steven Almond, a former deacon at Middletown Presbyterian Church in Media, Pennsylvania where he taught Sunday School and coached basketball, was arrested last year after detectives found dozens of child porn videos on his home computer.
On Friday, a Delaware County judge setenced Almond to six to 23 months in custody -- the first six months to be split between a drug treatment program and house arrest, according to Delaware Cuonty courts.
After he serves his sentence, Almond must complete seven years probabtion as a sex offender. He also must surrender his computer.
In June 2013, police searched Almond's home on W. Forestview Road in Parkside and pulled out four computers, a hard drive, flash drives, multiple cellphones and nearly two dozen CD/ DVDs.
Detectives say they found more than 50 videos believed to be child pornography, some of which showed children who appeared to be under the age of 5.
According to investigators, Almond, 55, told police that he had files of teenage pornography on his computer although he said he never had any inappropriate contact with children. He also told detectives that he knew it was illegal to pay for child porn, but he didn't think it was illegal to download child porn since its free and in the public domain.
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Almond lived just steps away from Parkside Elementary School and was a coach in the "Upward Bound" basketball league.
In June, he pleaded guilty to one count each of child pornography and criminal use of a communication facility as dozens of other counts were dismissed, according to courts records.
