Anaheim teacher arrested at elementary school on suspicion of possessing child porn

An Anaheim elementary school teacher was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of possessing child pornography, police said.

Joseph Williams Page, 39, was taken into custody while he was at Guinn Elementary School in Anaheim, where he teaches sixth grade, according to Sgt. Shane Carringer of the Anaheim Police Department.

Page was booked into the Anaheim jail, and bail was set at $25,000, Carringer said. He was transferred to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and released on bond early Thursday.

The case has not yet been forwarded to the Orange County district attorney’s office, D.A. spokeswoman Kimberly Edds said.

Officials with the school district said no students witnessed the arrest Wednesday.

“Our district is committed to the safety and well-being of the students, families and staff,” Anaheim Elementary School District Supt. Christopher Downing said Thursday. “Our school district has cooperated, and will fully cooperate with, authorities during the investigation.”

According to Downing, Page has been with the district for five years and has taught other grades in addition to sixth. He has been placed on paid administrative leave, he said.

The Anaheim Police Department is part of the nationwide Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and Page was identified during an online investigation, Carringer said. A search warrant was also executed at his home in Anaheim.

Detectives are not commenting on the amount or specific nature of the suspected child pornography images.

“We have not identified any students that he’s had direct contact with, but we’re not willing to rule anything out,” Carringer said.

People with information, or any potential victims, are asked to contact the Anaheim Police Department at (714) 765-1697.