CHIPPEWA TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A Beaver County community is in shock after Freedom High School's football coach was arrested and accused of having child pornography.
Russ Barley also worked as a teacher in the Neshannock School District in Lawrence County and resigned late Thursday afternoon.
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The football team is in the midst of a winning season and people Channel 11 talked to said they didn't see it coming.
Barley was in his first year of coaching with the district.
I’m talking to parents and Freedom Area Senior High school after the school’s head football coach was charged with Possession and distribution of child pornography #WPXI pic.twitter.com/C9D6aTZJy5
— Damany (@DamanyWSOC9) October 25, 2018
Pennsylvania State Police questioned him at his Chippewa Township home Thursday morning.
According to the criminal complaint, he told investigators that "several months ago, he became curious about child pornography and downloaded videos of it."
He also told police he "deleted many of the videos that he downloaded because he knew what he was doing was wrong."
On his computer, investigators found a video of a topless 14-year-old girl.
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No word on who will replace Barley as head coach.
Freedom Area Superintendent Jeffrey Fuller released the following statement:
"The Freedom Area School District has been informed that Coach Russ Barley has been arrested by the Pennsylvania State Police and arraigned on charges dealing with the possession and distribution of child pornography. To our knowledge, no Freedom Area School District students were involved in Mr. Barley's actions. Mr. Barley has been suspended from his position as Head Coach of the Freedom Bulldog Football team, effective immediately. He subsequently resigned his position with the Freedom Area School District. Because this is an ongoing legal and personnel matter, the Freedom Area School district will have no further comment."
Cox Media Group
