Teacher linked to potential offenses

BY JOSEPH BUSTOS SVN REPORTER jbustos@svnmail.com Had former physical education teacher Charles Christopher successfully met with what he likely believed were two underage girls he communicated with on the Internet, federal prosecutors say he would have committed eight crimes. On Friday, prosecutors filed a list of the potential crimes in response to a judge's order. Christopher, 29, of Rock Falls has pleaded not guilty to two counts of attempted enticement of a minor to engage in illicit sexual activities. If convicted, he faces five to 30 years in prison for each count. The former Sterling High School wrestling coach allegedly used a Challand Middle School computer to solicit sex from what he thought were 13- and 11-year-old girls. Instead, the conversations took place with an undercover Burlington, Iowa police officer conducting an online sexual predator sting, prosecutors said. Federal Judge John Jarvey ordered the government a week ago to "identify the sex crimes that it will allege at trial that allegedly arose from the defendant's use of the Internet." The order came in response to a motion to dismiss the case against Christopher on the grounds that the government was too vague in its claim that Christopher was using the Internet as a means to commit other crimes. Clifford Cronk, the lead prosecutor in the case, wrote that "in Internet chats between the defendant and a police officer posing as a 13-year-old girl, the defendant sought to have vaginal intercourse with a 13- and 11-year-old girl." He also mentioned having one or more of them commit other sexual acts on him including oral sex, Cronk wrote. Those acts would constitute sexual abuse in the second degree, sexual abuse in the third degree, lascivious acts with a child, assault with intent to commit sexual abuse, indecent contact with a child, contributing to delinquency, enticing away a minor and sexual exploitation of a minor. Sixteen conversations took place between Christopher and the police officer from April through September of 2006, according to court records. The Sterling School District conducted its own investigation into the matter and fired Christopher in December.