David Hazlett - Teacher Pervert Guilty - INTERNET PREDATOR

A former Johnson County teacher pleaded guilty Tuesday to using a computer to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity.

Kansas City, KS - infoZine - David Hazlett, 58, Olathe, Kan., entered the plea during a hearing before U.S. District Judge Carlos Murguia.

In his plea, Hazlett admitted that on Jan. 20, 2003, he chatted with two minor girls via Web cam. He asked them to undress and show themselves to the camera, which they did. He saved the Web cam images to the hard drive of his computer. During that incident, he was posing as a boy named Ely.

The crime was discovered in July 2007 when an apartment manager called the Johnson County Sheriff's Department to report that child pornography had been found on the computer in Hazlett's apartment. Hazlett had left the computer and other personal items behind when was evicted.

A forensic examination of the computer revealed that it contained 1,890 images of child pornography and 34 videos of child pornography.

Examiners also found computer records showing Hazlett had used screen names including lisa_sweety_12 and i_am_mark_12 to chat with minors on the Internet. He told investigators that he had voice-changing software on his computer but didn't use it because the voice did not sound real. Investigators also discovered the record of the incident with the two girls.

U.S. District Judge Carlos Murguia set Hazlett's sentencing for May 12, 2008. Hazlett faces a penalty of not less than 10 years and not more than life in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. U.S. Attorney Eric Melgren commended the Johnson County Sheriff's Office and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Martin for their work on the case.