San Jose teaching assistant charge for possessing child sexual abuse materials

SAN JOSE, Calif. - A teaching assistant at a San Jose school was charged with one felony count of possession of child sexual abuse material after another staff member found a flash drive containing inappropriate pictures of children, the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office said.

Kirk McFarland III was arrested on Monday over allegedly possessing sexually suggestive photos involving children when sheriff's deputies responded to the Chandler Tripp School in San Jose after receiving reports of the offensive material.

The 72-year-old San Jose resident admitted to deputies that he viewed and downloaded sexually suggestive photos of minors from the internet, according to police. He also said he never took inappropriate photos of the students, officials said.

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Officials said McFarland worked at Chandler Tripp School for a little over a month. 

Santa Clara County Office of Education informed parents of the allegations of a staff member through a letter, according to officials. KTVU reached out to the Santa Clara County Office of Education but did not hear back before the time of publication.

Anyone with information relating to the case is asked to contact the sheriff's office at (408) 808-4500. Anonymous reporting can be made to investigative services at (408) 808-4431.