Teacher may plead guilty to fed child-porn rap

The disgraced Newton teacher dubbed a “serial predator” by local authorities may plead guilty to federal child porn charges at an August hearing, his lawyer said, in a move that could pave the way for his return to the Bay State, where he’s accused of sexually assaulting three girls and taping it.

David Ettlinger, 34, faces multiple child porn-related charges in Louisiana federal court, the most serious of which — engaging in a child exploitation enterprise — carries the possibility of life in prison.

Ettlinger’s lawyer, Jennifer A. Culotta, told the court last week “the defendant will enter a guilty plea,” according to court documents. A hearing is set for Aug. 15. Culotta told the Herald yesterday Ettlinger has yet to sign a plea agreement.

“It was my decision to move (the case) off of the trial docket and onto the plea docket, so we can explore that option at this point in time,” Culotta said, adding she still needs to speak with Ettlinger and federal prosecutors. “Once we have fully explored the potential of that option, David will make a decision about what he wants to do.”

Ettlinger was among dozens of people arrested in January as part of a federal probe into the now-defunct “Dreamboard” child pornography file-sharing site. Bay State prosecutors say when Ettlinger’s federal case is resolved, they expect to see him returned to face state charges here.

In an unrelated case, a Taunton High School teacher is facing sexual assault charges after authorities accused him of raping two of his students.

A judge yesterday postponed a dangerousness hearing until July 2 for Patrick Doyle, 33, of Seekonk, who has been held since Monday, according to the Bristol County district attorney’s office. He faces multiple counts of statutory rape and distributing obscene material.

Source : bostonherald