A Providence middle school teacher has been suspended without pay after being accused of possessing child pornography and charged with alleged sexual assault.
Joseph Gannon, 50, was arrested at Nathanael Green Middle School on Sept. 20, one day after his alleged victim reported abuse she says spanned from the time she was 15 to 18.
Providence School District, where Gannon has taught for 25 years, issued a statement following his arrest which said the 8th grade science teacher was placed on immediate administrative leave pending police investigation. Reports of Gannon's leave have since been updated to suspension without pay by WLNE.
According to police reports, Gannon allegedly initiated ongoing contact with the victim through e-mail and social media after middle school, first inviting her to his house in August 2019. She says they met once a month at first, then twice a week for meetings that sometimes occurred in a Massachusetts hotel or public areas including, "parks, hotels and behind buildings."
Gannon allegedly gave the teen adult toys and lingerie, took sexually explicit photos and videos of their encounters, and cautioned the victim to keep their activities secret, going so far as to pressure her not to go to the hospital, WPRI reported.
Gannon is charged with first degree sexual assault and one count of producing/transferring child pornography, and a no contact order was issued between Gannon and the victim.
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