 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Michael John Smerdon
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SAN DIEGO – A South Bay physical education teacher is facing federal charges of possessing child pornography obtained from the Internet.
Michael John Smerdon, 41, was arrested Monday by agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), authorities announced Tuesday. He appeared Tuesday in San Diego’s federal court.
Smerdon, who lives in El Cajon, teaches at Hilltop High School and Castle Park Middle School in Chula Vista. Before that, he was head football coach at Clairemont High School in San Diego in 2003 and 2004.
The investigation that led to his arrest began in Fresno, said ICE spokeswoman Lauren Mack.
Acting on a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, ICE cybercrime specialists tapped into Smerdon’s e-mail account, Mack said. There, they found images and videos depicting children being sexually abused.
She said the material included images of children being subjected to bondage and acts of sadomasochism.
Smerdon didn’t just receive Internet child porn, but was distributing it as well, said Serge Duarte, acting head of ICE in San Diego. So far, however, agents haven’t found any evidence that Smerdon was producing pornography himself, nor is there any evidence that students were involved, Duarte said.
The investigation is part of Operation Predator, an ongoing campaign launched in July 2003 targeting those who prey on children, including human traffickers, international sex tourists and Internet child pornographers, Mack said.
A bond hearing for Smerdon is scheduled for Friday. He has yet to enter a plea.