Leon Dyer, a Belmont Middle School teacher, pleaded not guilty to two counts of possession of child sexual abuse material on Monday.
He posted the $7,500 bail and was released Monday afternoon.
Dyer, 45, has been a resident of Belmont for more than a decade, his lawyer said during his arraignment at Cambridge District Court. According to prosecutors, the charges stem from two separate searches in January and July of this year.
A search warrant obtained in January led to the discovery of multiple child sexual abuse images on Dyer’s Google Drive, Assistant District Attorney Jacqueline McCormick said in court. A search on Saturday led police to additional images on Dyer’s phone, she added.
Initially, Dyer told police his devices had been hacked and he “actually filed a police report to that effect,” McCormick said. Dyer later admitted to downloading the images.
Dyer was “adamant that [the images] are all downloaded off the internet … [and] that he never took photos of any of the children entrusted to his care,” according to McCormick.
Judge David Frank ordered Dyer to stay away from all public schools in Belmont and Camp Avoda, a boys’ overnight summer camp in Middleboro where he has been head counselor for more than 20 years.
He was also barred from seeking employment or volunteering with anyone under the age of 18.
Dyer has worked at the middle school for almost 20 years, where he has also served as the athletics manager. According to his LinkedIn page, he also coordinates the annual Washington, D.C., trip for students and staff.
In a statement sent to The Voice on Sunday, Superintendent Jill Geiser said the district confirmed Dyer was “properly screened and underwent regular reviews,” including Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) system checks and Statewide Automated Fingerprint Identification System (SAFIS) checks.
“Our primary concern, as always, is the well-being and safety of students. We have no information at this time to suggest that this individual engaged in any inappropriate conduct with BPS students, on BPS property, or otherwise in connection with his employment with BPS,” Geiser said.
She added that Dyer’s school-issued technology accounts have been suspended.
“We aim to be as transparent as possible throughout this process,” Geiser said.
Dyer is due back in court Sept. 17.
