A Stockton culinary arts teacher at Lincoln High School was arraigned Tuesday on charges related to possessing hundreds of sexually explicit images of minors.
Nickolas Turpen-Arends, 40, was arrested Sept.
22 at his Stockton home after authorities served a search warrant at the residence.
The California Highway Patrol said in an initial news release that Turpen-Arends was suspected of possessing more than 65,000 images of child sexual abuse material.
At his first court appearance, prosecutors charged Turpen-Arends with one count of possessing matter depicting sexual conduct by a person younger than 18, one count of possessing more than 600 obscene images of a minor engaged in a sexual act and one count of distributing matter depicting a child engaged in sexual conduct, according to court records.
Court records show Turpen-Arends is represented by attorney David Chesley. As of Wednesday, Turpen-Arends did not appear in the San Joaquin County Jail roster.
"As a former Lodi school board member, it is deeply infuriating whenever the safety and innocence of our children are threatened, and allegations involving child sexual abuse material strike at the very core of what we must protect," San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas said in a statement.
"My office will always stand firm in our mission to protect kids and hold those who possess or distribute this kind of material accountable," he added.
The CHP said the arrest resulted from a monthslong investigation into an internet protocol, or IP, address.
Following the arrest, Lincoln High School Principal Katherine Bender said in an email to families that investigators had informed the district there was no evidence at that time that any district students were involved. Turpen-Arends had been placed on administrative leave pending further investigation, Bender said.
Turpen-Arends is scheduled to return to court at 8:30 a.m. Dec. 16 for further arraignment.
Record reporter Victoria Franco covers public safety in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at vfranco@gannett.com. Support local journalism by subscribing to The Stockton Record at Subscribe to The Stockton Record.
This article originally appeared on The Record: Lincoln High teacher arraigned on child sexual abuse material charges
