Prince George's County private school teacher arrested for child pornography
Prince George’s County teacher faces child pornography charges
A teacher at a Prince George’s County private school was charged with child pornography possession.
PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY, Md. - A Prince George's County teacher was arrested and charged with multiple counts of distribution and possession of child pornography, Maryland State Police said Tuesday.
What we know:
Donald Kirk Marchand III, 70, of College Park, was arrested around 8 a.m. after the Maryland Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force launched an investigation earlier in September.
Donald Kirk Marchand III, 70, of College Park
During the investigation, officials learned that Marchand worked as a teacher at Elizabeth Seton High School, an all-girls, private Catholic school in Bladensburg.
School officials said Marchand was initially placed on administrative leave and his employment was later terminated.
"Though Mr. Marchand was vetted through all Maryland state educational background checks prior to the start of his employment, the charges revealed today based on alleged conduct beginning in September 2026 require a removal from our school," school president Lisa Grillo said in a statement.
Grillo also emphasized that there is no connection between the charges and students and staff at the school.
"We take the safety and security of our students as our highest responsibility," Grillo said. "We are in direct communication and cooperating with law enforcement. Based on the information shared, we are confident that there is no connection between the charges and our students or other staff."
Police said Marchand worked at other institutions before being employed at Elizabeth Seton.
Dig deeper:
According to charging documents, Google alerted police after a user uploaded suspected child sexual abuse material. The tip launched the investigation.
During a search of Marchand's home, officials found and seized multiple pieces of evidence, including discs containing files with titles referencing school girls. Investigators said the discs contained disturbing images of minors.
Police said Marchand had child sex abuse material that dated back more than a decade. When police confronted him about the material, he told them he had downloaded it years ago but never deleted it.
What they're saying:
"We should allow our kids to be kids as long as we can. Shelter them from certain things. For someone to be praying on children it just shows that it's just really a sad place, sad world that we are living in," said mother Janea Kirumda.
"If there's a teacher that's going to be doing things that are inappropriate, my first question would be, is this something he would do while my children are around or other children are around," Kirumda questioned.
Anyone with information about the investigation is urged to call the Maryland State Police Child Exploitation Unit at 1-800-637-5437.
The Source: Information in this article is from Maryland State Police.