LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) — Former St. Thomas More High School teacher Jacob De La Paz pleaded noit guilty in federal court Tuesday to a child pornography charge.
De La Paz pleaded not guilty to the charges via his attorney, Joe Burke, during his arraignment in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge David Ayo.
De La Paz was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 17 for one count of attempted production of child pornography in connection with an incident on or about Jan. 12. As reported by KLFY, he left the school abruptly on April 27, and was arrested by agents of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security the next day.
If convicted, De La Paz faces a minimum of 15 years in prison, with a maximum of 30 years, a $250,000 fine and other monetary assessments.
De La Paz has been incarcerated in the St. Martin Parish jail since his arrest, and participated from the jail via Zoom.
De La Paz was previously employed at a school in Arkansas, where he was found to have “engaged in inappropriate communication with a student via text messaging” in 2017, and at North Vermilion High School.
After his arrest, Homeland Security Public Affairs Officer Sarah Loicano said the investigation is ongoing, and additional charges may be pending.
