PLATTSBURGH — A retired City School District teacher and local media personality is accused of possessing hundreds of images of child porn.
Raymond "Foxy" Gagnon is now behind bars at Clinton County Jail on a single federal charge of possessing child pornography.
Federal officials believe Gagnon has been buying child pornography through a European Web site.
During the investigation, Rouses Point-based Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials met with the well-known 61-year-old, who consented to a search of his personal computer.
That search revealed more than 300 images and videos of suspected child porn, the Northern New York U.S. District Attorney's Office said Friday evening.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were first alerted to Gagnon's participation when they received copies of an e-mail from him that communicated with a child-porn production and distribution webmaster Sergio Marzola, an affidavit from ICE said.
Marzola was arrested in late 2006 as part of investigation into child-porn Web sites.
Customers paid for video material and then were provided with a Web link, user name and password with which the video material could be uploaded to the customers, the affidavit said.
An e-mail dated July 22, 2005, from Gagnon requested to download two videos from Marzola's Web Site.
The videos requested referred to a girl named "Nadia."
"Nadia was 13 to 15 years old at the time she was victimized by Marzola," the affidavit said.
Following an interview with federal officials Friday, forensics revealed that some of those images involved a young girl, believed to be between the ages of 6 and 8, engaged in sexual activity with an adult male.
"During the interview, Gagnon admitted to viewing, purchasing or distributing of child pornography," the affidavit said. "Gagnon also stated that his computer contains images of child pornographic nature that he downloaded from Web sites.
"Gagnon stated that some of the images are in sexual acts and that the purpose of the images is for his personal sexual gratification."
He was arrested early Friday and remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending further court action.
Law-enforcement officials were at Gagnon's house for most of the day Friday in an apparent continuing search of his residence and computer records.
Gagnon retired in 2005 from Stafford Middle School, where he taught English.
He is well-known for having videotaped hundreds — perhaps thousands — of events throughout the North Country for showing on Charter Cable Access television, particularly youth sporting events.
His gravel-voiced play-by-play has become familiar throughout the region, to which he habitually bade at the close of his telecasts, "Good night, Nooorth Country."
Upon his retirement from Stafford, the Press-Republican arranged for him to write a several-times-weekly blog, called "On the Sly," on local curiosities in the North Country, decades ago and through the present. The blog enjoyed broad and enthusiastic readership.
Press-Republican Editor Bob Grady was cautious Friday afternoon in discussing the revelation of Gagnon's arrest.
"All we know is that he's been charged," Grady said. "It will be shocking to many people. If all of what we hear is true, I hope Foxy can get the help he would apparently need. His record says he has been a tremendous asset to his community and this newspaper for years."
Gagnnon is due back in court June 23 for a custody-determination hearing and could not be reached for comment.
In a news release, Lev Kubiak, special agent in charge of ICE's Buffalo Office of Investigations, said: "Individuals who possess child pornography contribute to international crime, which leads to the horrific victimization and exploitation of innocent and vulnerable children."
Officials declined Friday evening to say whether the search of Gagnon's property netted any additional evidence.
Plattsburgh City Police and Clinton County Sheriff's personnel assisted the investigation, and authorities are asking anyone with information about this case to call ICE's Rouses Point office at 297-6661.
— Contributing Writer Lucas Blaise contributed
to this report.
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