Wednesday, June 4, 2003

Former SCHS teacher, coach pleads guilty to indecency By JOHN MUNFORD jmunford@TheCitizenNews.com A former teacher and wrestling coach for Sandy Creek High School has pled guilty to public indecency and other charges stemming from his arrest on campus in November for using his classroom computer to display a "sex act" via the Internet. Damian T. Belvedere, 44, of Sharpsburg was sentenced May 22 to 15 days in jail followed by 60 days on house arrest where he will only be allowed to go to counseling, work and the post office. Fayette County State Court Judge Fletcher Sams also ordered Belvedere on three years probation and $3,000 in fines. Belvedere pled guilty to all three charges against him, including public indecency and two counts of distributing obscene materials. No students witnessed the incident, which was seen by two women in south Georgia whom Belvedere had conversed with online, police said. Police unlocked the classroom door and one detective witnessed the incident immediately afterwards. The witnesses, who are both adults, had notified police of Belvedere's conduct after noticing what appeared to be a classroom in the background. Police said the computer indicated Belvedere would enter an adult chat room on a daily basis. What do you think of this story? Click here to send a message to the editor. Back to the News Home Page| Back to the top of the page