Teacher indicted for allegedly sexually exploiting kids

HOUSTON Stephen Wayne Sudduth, 35, of Sealy, is charged in a seven-count indictment returned Wednesday with engaging in illicit sexual conduct with his students in a foreign country, production of child pornography, transportation of child pornography and possession of child pornography.

According to allegations in the indictment, Sudduth was hired as a teacher in August 2006 by the International School of Curacao in Willemstad, Curacao, Netherlands Antilles. The private school has a Pre-K3 to 12th grade student population. For school years 2006 - 2008, Sudduth taught PreK-4 (four-year-olds)and in 2008 - 2009 taught Pre-K5 (five-year-olds), as well as provided tutoring and babysitting services after school to these children.

Sudduth is accused in two counts of engaging in illicit sexual conduct with his students from August 2007 through June 2009. The indictment also accuses him of three counts of sexually exploiting his students by using, persuading, inducing, enticing and coercing the students to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing visual depictions of sexually explicit conduct, as well as transporting the visual depictions in interstate and foreign commerce and possessing video and still images of child pornography obtained via the Internet on a computer.

Sudduth faces a sentence of up to 30 years imprisonment if convicted of engaging in illicit sexual conduct in a foreign country and a minimum of 15 years up to 30 years imprisonment if convicted of production of child pornography. Transportation of child pornography carries a minimum of five years up to a maximum of 20 years imprisonment upon conviction while possession of child pornography carries a maximum of 10 years incarceration. All charges also carry a maximum fine of $250,000 as possible punishment.

If convicted of any of the charged offenses, upon completion of any prison term imposed, Sudduth also faces a maximum life term of supervised release during which the court can impose a number of special conditions designed to protect children and prohibit the use of the Internet.

Sudduth was already indicted in October 2009 on 30 counts of possession of child pornography and 10 counts of promotion of child pornography in Texas. He was employed as a teacher at Katy ISD's Nottingham Country Elementary School from 2000-2006.