Teacher Arrested for Child Pornography

BALTIMORE – Dominic Lafrancesca, a 27-year-old music teacher at George D. Lisby Elementary School in Harford County, has been arrested and charged with 11 counts of possessing and distributing child pornography. He is currently being held without bail at the Harford County Detention Center. The charges stem from an investigation initiated by the Harford County Child Advocacy Center, which received a tip regarding suspicious internet activity involving the downloading of explicit images of children aged between 1 and 13 years. Police identified Lafrancesca as the suspect after detectives traced the internet activity. According to court documents, he allegedly admitted to viewing some of the pornography while at school. Col. William Davis of the Harford County Sheriff's Office stated that investigators are currently examining the media involved to determine whether Lafrancesca recorded any videos himself or merely downloaded them from the internet. The case has raised concerns among parents, with one expressing disbelief that a teacher could engage in such behavior, emphasizing the responsibility educators have to protect and nurture children. In response to the allegations, Harford County Public Schools (HCPS) released a statement affirming their commitment to high standards for staff and their support for the ongoing investigation by law enforcement. Lafrancesca began his tenure at George D. Lisby Elementary in 2022, having previously worked as a substitute teacher at several local schools from 2020 to 2022. The community is now grappling with the implications of these serious charges against a trusted educator.