Teacher facing child porn charges out on bail
A suspended high school teacher charged with child pornography and child sex offences was released on $2,000 bail following a lengthy hearing in Saskatoon provincial court on Friday.
Rhett Jeffrey Lundgren, 39, was arrested last week and accused of breaching his initial release conditions. On Dec. 9, he was released by consent after being charged with attempting to access child porn and two counts of arranging to commit a sexual offence against a child.
According to court documents, Lundgren allegedly breached his release conditions by not living at an approved residence and by being alone with a child under 16.
One of Lundgren’s bail conditions requires another adult to be present during all visitations with his daughter.
A publication ban prevents reporting any details presented at the bail hearing — including the judge’s reasons for granting Lundren’s release.
Wearing a grey jail-issued sweatshirt, Lundgren stared firmly ahead as the Crown and defence discussed his case. He was ordered to live with his father, who attended the hearing. His next court date has been set for March.
The former Walter Murray Collegiate teacher is charged with possession of child porn that was allegedly found on a computer police seized during Lundgren’s initial arrest on Dec. 8. The search resulted from an investigation into the online sexual exploitation of children through social media, police said.
Lundgren also faces separate charges out of Alberta that include sexual exploitation and child luring. Police said the allegations involve a student who attended a school where Lundgren taught in 2009, but the incident was only recently brought to the attention of police.