Cameron Co. teacher, coach jailed for child porn
A Hall of Fame wrestling coach and retired Cameron County English teacher was arrested Wednesday on allegations that he possessed child pornography.
Laurence McGraw, 73, of 156 BoMar Drive, Emporium, was charged by the Attorney General’s Child Predator section with 10 counts of sexual abuse of children - possession of child pornography, all seconddegree felonies, and one count of criminal use of a communication facility, a third-degree felony.
McGraw was arraigned just after 4 p.m. before District Judge Barry Brown and remanded to jail in lieu of $100,000 bail. According to the criminal complaint, on Dec. 9, the child predator unit received a cyber tip involving an image of child pornography that was viewed at a certain IP address, which was already under investigation by the unit. The IP address was registered to McGraw. Further investigation showed the residents of the physical address were McGraw and his wife, Nanette. During the course of the investigation, the officer received two more cyber tips of child pornography viewed from McGraw’s IP address, the complaint stated. At 8:51 a.m. Wednesday, agents served a search warrant at McGraw’s home. The door was unlocked, and police entered, announcing “police with a search warrant” as they did. Nanette McGraw came to the top of the interior stairs and was directed down the stairs and out to the front porch. She was asked who else was inside, and responded just her husband, Larry. “At that time, Nanatte yelled, ‘Larry what did you do?’” the complaint read. An agent spoke to Laurence McGraw, informing him of a search warrant for illegal internet activity. At first he agreed to speak to the agents, but changed his mind and asked for an attorney, the complaint stated. Two agents spoke to Nanette McGraw in the home. She gave her consent to be recorded, and was told the investigation involved illegal internet activity from her home. “Nanette stated that she and Larry had been traveling and someone must have broken into their
home and used the internet,” the complaint read.
She was asked if she was viewing child pornography; she said no. She was asked if anyone had stayed with them recently; she said no, but said she and her husband had been gone a lot. “Nanette’s demeanor during conversations with agents was hesitant and at times,
angry,” the complaint stated. She was asked about the laptop in the house, and said it was used only by her husband.
During a preview of the laptop, agents found at least nine images of child pornography. On a thumb drive, agents found at least one image. All the devices were seized by agents and taken for forensic examination, the complaint stated.
McGraw is scheduled to appear at a preliminary hearing on March 9 before Brown.
For 29 years, McGraw was the head coach of Cameron County wrestling. He was inducted into the PIAA District 9 Wrestling Hall of Fame. He also coached six years for the Pa. Amateur Wrestling Federation and was head coach of the Pa. 2001 Cadet National Freestyle Team Champions.