A former South Lake Tahoe teacher arrested on suspicion of possessing, distributing and making child pornography had a federal court hearing postponed Monday.
Karsten Gronwold, arrested in September days before the start of this school year where he was set to teach second grade at the Lake Tahoe Environmental Science Magnet School, is scheduled to appear in Sacramento's federal court May 21 for a status conference.
His attorney, Timothy Zindel at the Office of the Federal Defender for the Eastern District of California, could not be reached for comment.
Gronwold has been placed on unpaid administrative leave and had his California teaching credential pulled, according to Beth Delacour, human resources director for Lake Tahoe Unified School District.
Authorities said the charges were unrelated to Gronwold's work as an elementary teacher.
A federal grand jury believed there was enough evidence to bring a 10-count indictment against Gronwold, charged with one count of production of a visual depiction of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct, eight counts of distributing such images and one count of possessing the explicit material.
Gronwold faces 190 years in prison if convicted of all the charges.
The more serious charge of creating child pornography, which carries a maximum term of 20 years in prison and a minimum of 10 years, alleges Gronwold coerced a minor to make a photograph named "playwithme.jpg" and distributed the image.
-- By William Ferchland, WFerchland@TahoeDailyTribune.com
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