Remember Steven Allen, the Eastern Middle School teacher found dead by his own hand?
It all seemed so tragic- that he had taken his life after battling whatever illness they said was killing him.. All the public affection and support flooded in from everywhere- I've read many of his former students' comments left from news articles that were full of such heartbreak over losing such a good man..
Now it's come out that police found child pornography in his apartment.
Excuse me? Yes, child pornography.
Why would you want to kill yourself in your apartment win you have a bin full of child porn hidden away?
I'm hoping that he kept this sickness to himself, and I'm hoping that viewing such unspeakable things was the extent to which he had succumbed to that type of evil.
The middle school had to send out an e-mail to parents letting them know of this recent development. I'd hate to be one of the parents needing to tell their son or daughter that's grieving over the loss of one of their favorite teachers that he had a "really bad problem" and then having to ask if he or she were ever alone with him.
Perhaps he didn't kill himself over the illness. If memory serves, I heard of Allen's death right about the same time as when shit hit the fan for Jerry Sandusky.
Could he have killed himself over guilt? Did he think that after seeing so much of a movement coming from that nationally sensationalized story that one of his victims (if he had any) would come forward as well?
If guilt is what led him, hopefully it's not the ultimate guilt of having ruined children's lives, but for having just getting pleasure out of watching others doing so. I don't know. I guess I'm only full of speculation and who knows if anything more will ever come of this story. I hope not.
Here's the actual news article:
Greenwich Time- The Eastern Middle School music teacher who was found dead of an apparent suicide in his Cos Cob apartment earlier this month had a storage bin filled with what appeared to be child pornography, police said Wednesday.
During the course of the investigation into Steven R. Allen's death, a Greenwich detective searched Allen's apartment and found sexually explicit photographs that appeared to have come from a computer printer, police said.
There is no indication any of the individuals portrayed in the photos have any local connection or that Allen, 57, produced any of the photos himself, police said. Most of the photos appear to be from websites that offer child porn, many of which are located in foreign countries, police said.
Superintendent of Schools Roger J. Lulow said in a statement Wednesday that district officials are "surprised and distressed" at the news that Allen had child pornography.
"We are surprised because there had been no indication or suspicion that Mr. Allen was involved in any activity of this nature, nor have there been any complaints or accusations regarding his behavior," Lulow said in the statement. "We are distressed because we do not condone or tolerate this behavior in anyone, much less a member of our staff. A review of Mr. Allen's personnel file and the background check, including fingerprinting, conducted at the time of his hire, reveal no reports, accusations or suspicions of inappropriate behavior nor any criminal record."
Lulow said school officials are cooperating with the investigation, and they encourage anyone with concerns or information to contact police Lt. Kraig Gray at 203-622-3620.
Greenwich police have solicited the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the investigation, which may take several weeks to complete, police said.
Police Chief James Heavey released a statement Wednesday asserting that it is the department's intention to "determine Mr. Allen's level of involvement in this activity, identify and assist all possible victims and confirm that none of the victims are local residents."
Police responded to Allen's 84 Valley Road apartment Nov. 9 after coworkers said he failed to report to work. They found Allen had suffered what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. A weapon discovered at the scene was registered to Allen, police said.
Police said an autopsy would be performed to determine the cause of his death. Failing health conditions may have caused him to become despondent, police said.
Former Eastern Middle School principal Benjamin Davenport said he was shocked by the news that Allen was found to have child pornography.
"This is a total surprise," Davenport said. "I never had a complaint from a parent or a student about Steve. Not one."
Allen, who had been a music teacher for 33 years, the last 11 of which were with Greenwich Public Schools, worked with Davenport at Eastern for about six years, Davenport said.
They saw each other earlier in the fall, he added, explaining that Allen was always a positive influence on students and staff.
"I was not aware of any problems that he was having," Davenport said with regard to Allen's health. "I just can't believe it. It's just a shame."
After his death, parents said Allen was visibly passionate about music, and shared that enthusiasm with his students. In addition to working at Eastern Middle School, Allen taught at the town's summer music camp at Greenwich High School, was the concertmaster of the Sound Beach Community Band and served as conductor of the Young People's Symphony, which is part of the Stamford Young Artists Philharmonic.
Students said after Allen's death that he was a caring teacher who offered them plenty of extra help and created his own musical arrangements, customizing the music to fit the skill level of those he was teaching.
In a letter to parents Nov. 9, Ralph Mayo, principal of Eastern, said Allen's death was a great loss to the school and the entire Greenwich public school community.
Lulow said in his statement Wednesday that the district's goal at this time is to help the school community, particularly the students, in dealing with the news.
"To that end, the District as a whole and Eastern Middle School and Greenwich High School (schools with students of Mr. Allen's) specifically, will provide support and guidance for staff, students and families as needed," he said.
Parents who have concerns about their children's response to the incident should contact the child's school and ask to speak with the psychologist, social worker or guidance counselor, he said.
The Greenwich Public Schools curriculum includes instruction in Grades 1, 4, 8 and 11 for students on how to recognize inappropriate or illegal behavior and what to do if they believe they are experiencing or witnessing those acts, Lulow said in the statement.
In order to maintain or hold a license to teach in the state, teachers must abide by a code of responsibility, which addresses expectations of conduct, he said.
PTA council president Lisa Beth Savits and Eastern Middle School PTA co-presidents Mary King and Sheila Keatinge declined to comment for this article.
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