Band teacher admits to asking a student for nude photos. It’s in a judge’s hands now.
A Southwest Florida band teacher and the federal government both agreed to a plea deal that could put the man in prison for 10 years for possessing child porn.
In his plea agreement, 35-year-old Warren Baxter, a former band teacher at Estero High School, admits to asking a 17-year-old male student for nude photos.
During an interview with Lee County Sheriff officers he also admitted that he had images of underage girls on his phone. The images and videos depicted minors engaged in sexually explicit activities.
According to documents filed at the U.S. District Court in Fort Myers, Baxter had 958 images and 734 videos on his external hard drive, 65 images and 34 videos on his laptop and an unspecified number on a confiscated cellphone.
According to the Lee County School District, a parent reported Baxter to the principal in May 2018, NBC2’s WBBH reported.
Lee County deputies were notified and went to Baxter’s home on June 5, 2018, where they say he admitted to having the images on his computer devices.
Baxter resigned from his position at the school in July 2018.
In April, a federal grand jury indicted Baxter for possession of child porn and set a bond of $100,000, NBC29 reported.
On Friday, the plea deal was accepted by both sides. A judge has not signed off on the deal yet.
If the judge accepts the deal, the possession of child pornography count he is charged with carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 and a special assessment of $100 per felony count.
Baxter would also have to register as a sex offender.
This story was originally published May 30, 2019 at 12:23 PM.
