LAPORTE, Texas -- A former La Porte School Board member and retired principal appeared in a Harris County courtroom Thursday to face charges of possession of child pornography, but his hearing has been reset.
Officers from a regional computer crimes task force raided Larry Donald Cox's home on Jan. 6, taking with them several items for analysis, La Porte police said.
Cox resigned from the La Porte Independent School District board of trustees the same day, citing personal reasons.
A computer was seized, along with other computer media, for further forensic examination and it was found that it, in fact, did have child pornography on it, said Asst. Chief Steve Deardorff.
The computer contained a range of pictures and videos of teen and pre-teen children involved in sexual activity, he said.
The Harris County District Attorney's office charged Cox with four counts of possession of child pornography, a third-degree felony.
Parents who he represented said they are angry.
That is sick, if he is looking at it on the computer, what is to say that he is not looking it anywhere else, said Tina Johnson. You just don't know.
Johnson said three of her children attended the school.
Obviously, we don't know who is taking care of things and taking care of our kids, she said. We send them to school to be protected, and be safe, obviously they are not.
In 2001, Cox retired after 30 years of working in education. He last served as prinicpal of the La Porte district s Baker Sixth Grade campus.
Cox played for the Denver Broncos in the1960s. He was a defensive tackle.
The arrest was the result of a three-month investigation that was started by the Houston Metro Internet Crimes against Children Task Force.
La Porte Police would not comment on exactly what might have led to the task force to Cox in the first place.
Cox was
