Sex crime hearing delayed for teacher

By PHYLLIS ZORN

Staff writer

Preliminary hearing for a Peabody-Burns High School teacher charged with eight felonies alleging unlawful sexual relations and sexual exploitation of two students had his preliminary hearing in court delayed two months.

Social studies teacher Chris Young is charged with five counts of unlawful sexual relations and three counts of sexual exploitation of a child.

His preliminary hearing, at which a judge decides if there is sufficient evidence to hold a trial, was originally scheduled for Monday. Instead, the prosecution and Young’s lawyer agreed Thursday to postpone the hearing until June 4.

According to a probable cause affidavit filed by Peabody police chief Bruce Burke, partially nude photos of Young and both students were found on cell phones seized from the three. These photos relate to the exploitation charges.

The affidavit also recounts numerous statements made to him by a citizen who initially reported improper relationships, the alleged victims and two of their parents, and reports of observations of school officials.

Burke also described details of how search warrants were executed to retrieve the cell phones.

Burke’s affidavit discloses he was told about incidents including Young crawling through a bedroom window at the home of one of the students on weekend nights, a student spending the night at a trailer owned by Young, and a text message sent by one of the students saying she was having sex with her teacher and another student.

Each charge is a level five felony. If convicted, Young could be sentenced from as little as 36 months’ community corrections to as much as 11 years, 4 months in prison on each count, depending on his criminal history. The judge could order the sentences to run concurrently or consecutively.