North Carolina: Stephen Joseph Spear, whose animal rescue was recently raided, used to be a teacher who, in 2009, was charged in child porn case

As you may already know, authorities recently raided Stephen Spear's animal rescue and seized more than 600 neglected animals. This article, from 2009, is interesting because if he became a convicted sex offender for crimes against children, did his 'rescue' put him in contact with children? After all, families would bring their children to adopt a pet. Even if the public could not go to the farm, he and his wife Linden Spear would bring the animals to pet stores or adoption events - putting him in contact with children...

 

NORTH CAROLINA -- Stephen Joseph Spear, 61, of the 400 block of Fulford McMillan Road in Raeford, is charged with 18 counts each of second- and third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, according to arrest warrants.

Spear is a speech communication instructor at Fayetteville Technical Community College (FTCC) and is the husband of Linden Spear, who operates The Haven-Friends for Life shelter in Raeford (Hoke County).

Spear is accused of having the images on his work computer, but it was not clear if the pictures were on a hard drive or a portable drive, arrests reports said.

The images showed girls as young as 7 years old in sexually provocative poses, warrants said.

Spear turned himself in Monday and was cooperative, according to arrest documents.

Detective Chad Smith, with the Fayetteville Police Department’s cyber-crimes unit, said the investigation began in January and was ongoing. Smith said he could not discuss specifics of the investigation.

Brent Michaels, a spokesman for FTCC, said the college was cooperating with the investigation.

Michaels would not say whether Spear was still employed at the school, only that there had been a change in his employee status Jan. 14.

In a statement, Michaels said FTCC had policies against anyone using its computers “to create, display, transmit, or make accessible threatening, racist, sexist, obscene, offensive, annoying, or harassing language and/or materials ...”

Michaels said the college would take appropriate action to enforce the policies if a student or employee was found in violation.

Stephen Spear married Linden Spear in 1978. The couple met at the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh.

Linden Spear said in an interview with The Fayetteville Observer in 2006 that Stephen Spear had been her “primary source of support.” She said he built dog pens and worked the night shift at the Haven.

Bail was set at $180,000.

(Faye Observer - Mar 3, 2009)

-posted Jan 30, 2016

Earlier:

• North Carolina: Stephen Joseph Spear and Linden Spear collected your donation money and starved the 600 ANIMALS at their 'no kill' shelter, say police
• North Carolina: Couple who operate The Haven no-kill shelter appear in court