BRENTWOOD — A Timberlane Middle School gym teacher was placed on paid leave yesterday after school administrators learned he had been indicted on charges of possession of child pornography.
Scott Buatti, who has been with the school district for 19 years as a teacher and coach, had both photographs and video files of underage girls on his computer, according to the indictments.
Police found eight movie files "showing a lewd exhibition of the genitalia of a female child," according to the indictments. Two photos depicted a female child performing oral sex, the indictments said.
Buatti, 43, of 4 Wilders Grove Road in Newton, faces 10 felony charges, each punishable by three and a half to seven years in state prison.
Timberlane Superintendent Richard La Salle said yesterday that none of the allegations involve Buatti's conduct with students.
Buatti has coached girls basketball and soccer. This semester, he was coaching the middle school boys team. Recently, he had coached girls basketball and soccer teams at Timberlane, according to La Salle. Buatti also coached a girls AAU basketball team outside of school.
Federal investigators first discovered Buatti had the child pornography in February 2008, according to County Attorney James Reams.
After concluding their investigation, they passed on information about Buatti to the state's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force about three months ago, Reams said.
Reams said investigators executed a search warrant on Buatti's home and computer.
Investigators can track the custody of photos and videos using software to monitor peer-to-peer computer networks, often used to illegally download music and movies, Reams said.
The indictments mark the second time a Timberlane teacher has faced sex-related charges. In July, Kevin Goddu, 46, a former high-school teacher, received a suspended 12-month jail sentence for having a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old student. He struck a plea deal after he went to trial on felony charges, which resulted in a hung jury.
Timberlane School Board member William Baldwin, who works as an Atkinson police lieutenant, said yesterday he remains concerned about students' safety in light of the allegations against Buatti.
"I'm always concerned about student safety," he said. "But it's more disturbing when someone who has the trust of the public and children violates that trust — if, in fact, he has done that. As a law enforcement officer and parent, it disgusts me."
La Salle said he was notified by authorities yesterday morning about Buatti's indictment.
Buatti was working at the school when the news came to light yesterday morning. By early afternoon, La Salle released a statement saying Buatti had been placed on paid administrative leave.
The superintendent said the school is responding to the indictments by calling upon a crisis team made up of school counselors and psychologists in case students need to speak with someone. The crisis team is typically used when students have to deal with a death or other difficult news.
La Salle said he could not comment further on the case.
