Investigators arrest Sacramento school teacher accused of possessing child pornography
Investigators on Monday evening arrested a Sacramento school teacher with a “long history of being in close proximity to children,” who is accused of possessing child pornography.
Mark Stephen Sirard, 52, of Sacramento was arrested on suspicion of possessing child sexual abuse material, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office announced Tuesday morning.
Sheriff’s officials said Sirard was booked at the Sacramento County Main Jail, but he was released from custody a few hours later after posting a $50,000 bail bond.
The Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office filed a criminal complaint against Sirard on Oct. 22. He’s scheduled to appear for his arraignment hearing Wednesday afternoon in Sacramento Superior Court.
An investigation in the United Kingdom led to Sirard’s arrest. Sheriff’s officials said UK authorities and “other law enforcement authorities overseas” handed over information to U.S. Homeland Security Investigations and the Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s Internet Crimes Against Children and Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes teams investigated Sirard and arrested the teacher on Monday.
“Due to Sirard’s long history of being in close proximity to children, especially in a position of trust, detectives are concerned there may be unreported victims,” sheriff’s officials said in a news release.
Sirard’s LinkedIn profile identifies him as a teacher at the Sacramento City Unified School District from September 1999 to the present. The Sheriff’s Office did not include in its news release the name of the school where Sirard worked.
A 2022-2023 parent and student handbook for Leonardo da Vinci School lists Sirard as a seventh- and eighth-grade language arts teacher. Leonardo da Vinci School on Joaquin Way in Sacarmento’s Hollywood Park neighborhood is a TK through eighth-grade campus.
Al Goldberg, a spokesman for Sacramento City Unified School District, confirmed Sirard worked as a seventh- and eighth-grade English language arts teacher at Leonardo da Vinci School, and Sirard has worked for the school district since 1999.
Goldberg said Sirard hasn’t worked on a school district site since May, when law enforcement officials informed SCUSD of their investigation of Sirard. He said the teacher was immediately placed on administrative leave.
The Sheriff’s Office notified the school district on Tuesday that Sirard had been arrested, Goldberg said. Sirard remains on administrative leave.
“The news is deeply disturbing as our highest priority as a school district is to protect our students and staff from harm on our school sites,” school district officials said in a message sent to parents of Leonardo da Vinci School students. “As we continue to cooperate with law enforcement, we remain fully committed to taking every necessary step to protect and support our students.”
Investigators asked anyone with information relevant to this investigation into Sirard to call the sheriff’s Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force at 916-874-3002.
