A Jacksonville man who was once a Teacher of the Year and coached a boys soccer team to state championships, has been sentenced for child pornography.
38-year-old John Sweeney, who was a teacher for 14 years, was sentenced to 6.5 years in prison and 15 years supervised release. He’s also required to register as a sex offender.
Sweeney pleaded guilty to receipt of child pornography last November, after an investigation proved he was engaging in explicit communications with a 12-year-old.
The FBI was also able to locate about 50 email accounts and fake profiles that Sweeney used on chat sites along with images of nude minors.
Sweeney resigned in Dec. 2013 from Southwest High School in Onslow County following his arrest.
He was listed as the school’s teacher of the year for 2013 and was the coach for the girls and boys soccer teams, winning a boy’s state championship in 2012 and a girl’s state championship in 2010 and 2012.
Deputies originally said that Sweeney used a computer or electronic device to try and get a teenager to engage in unlawful sexual acts. That child was a 13 year old from out of state and the two interacted on a site called Meetme, deputies told the Jacksonville Daily News.
A warrant says Sweeney also texted a girl to meet up for sex.
Sweeney taught at Onslow County Schools for 14 years, including time at New Bridge Middle School. The school district had no comment on his arrest.
— Info from WNCT-TV
