XPost: school.general, sac.general, talk.politics.guns   
   XPost: alt.gossip.celebrities   
   From: losers@dnc.org   
      
   The arrest of a Cooperstown Central School physical education   
   teacher last week on charges he received and distributed child   
   pornography online has brought concern, confusion and anger to   
   the school’s community, but some people said they were not   
   completely surprised.   
      
   Justin Hobbie, 41, taught gym and health classes at the school   
   for 13 years and coached girls soccer and track. He was arrested   
   at his home in Springfield Center on Thursday and is being held   
   in a county jail near Syracuse pending a detention hearing   
   scheduled for Wednesday.   
      
   Monday, several students told The Daily Star they suspected   
   Hobbie of spying on them changing in the locker rooms.   
      
   However, authorities said there was no evidence to suggest   
   Hobbie had manufactured any of the child pornography which he   
   allegedly possessed and traded, or that it involved any local   
   students or residents.   
      
   The case remains under investigation by Homeland Security   
   Investigations in Albany.   
      
   United States Magistrate Judge Thérèse Wiley Dancks will decide   
   whether Hobbie should be held or released under certain   
   conditions to assure the safety of the community and his   
   appearance at future court meetings. Such conditions could   
   include a house arrest, according to Michael Barnett, Assistant   
   United States Attorney spokesperson in Albany.   
      
   The school will hold a forum at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday to share   
   information on the arrest and hear from parents. Representatives   
   from the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the National Center of   
   Missing & Exploited Children are expected to attend, and will be   
   sharing resources for parents and caregivers.   
      
   Superintendent William Crankshaw sent audio messages to the   
   school community on Sunday and Monday nights to inform parents   
   of the meeting and ensure to them crisis response teams will   
   have a plan and “the necessary staff is in place to discuss   
   students’ feelings during this most unsettling time.”   
      
   “We are galvanizing in-school and external resources for staff   
   and students immediately and into the future to be sure students   
   have a safe learning environment,” he told The Daily Star via   
   email, without getting into particulars. He said students can go   
   to their trusted teachers, staff members and counselors if they   
   wish to talk.   
      
   Crankshaw declined to discuss whether Hobbie had any allegations   
   of misconduct made against him in his time at the school. He   
   said he has been contacted by investigators “with periodic   
   updates, which have been routine to date,” but did not disclose   
   whether investigators are conducting any interviews at the   
   school.   
      
   Students told The Daily Star that Hobbie was known for being   
   overly personal with students. They also said he had a Snapchat   
   account he may have shared with certain students.   
      
   A federal search warrant could grant investigators access to a   
   log of previous Snapchats, which are picture messages that   
   automatically delete after both users have seen the content. The   
   log is only meta-data, not the actual content of the messages.   
   It would include the time a message was sent and to whom, but   
   not the photos or messages.   
      
   Students who wished to remain anonymous also said Hobbie was   
   known to watch girls changing in the locker room through the   
   reflection on a trophy case.   
      
   “A lot of girls are extremely uncomfortable with finding that   
   out, the fact that people knew about it and acting like it was a   
   thing that was just known, and feel very unsafe now,” said one   
   junior girl. “Also a few students, he was way too touchy with.   
   One student in particular would run up to him and jump into his   
   arms, and wrap her legs around him, and it’s just completely   
   inappropriate for a teacher-student relationship. A lot of   
   students witnessed it, and it made everyone uncomfortable, and   
   as a teacher he should not have let that happen.”   
      
   Keith Barlow, a 2018 CCS graduate who played football, said   
   Hobbie would also do things that made boys feel uncomfortable in   
   the locker room, such as staring at them when they changed   
   clothes. Hobbie would ignore them when they told him to leave   
   them alone, Barlow said.   
      
   “Now we’re all like ‘Oh God did he enjoy it?’” he said.   
      
   Barlow said Hobbie routinely commented on students’ personal   
   business, including accusing them of smelling like marijuana or   
   tobacco, or saying he knew what they were up to on weekends.   
      
   Other students discussed inappropriate touching, such as   
   snapping girls’ bra straps or letting his hands linger on   
   peoples’ backs.   
      
   However, as the community processed the news, many people   
   pointed out good things about Hobbie, including his work as a   
   volunteer EMT, as a Planning Board member for the town of   
   Springfield and the positive relationship some students had with   
   him.   
      
   “I can tell you that (my daughter) liked him and enjoyed his   
   class,” said Susan Jastremski Austin. “He is a well liked   
   teacher. He’s a Cooperstown graduate; my husband went to school   
   with him. This is a huge shock to all of us.”   
      
   Connie Herzig, the former chair of the physical education   
   department who retired in June, said she had never heard any   
   complaints of Hobbie acting inappropriately. As his department   
   head, Herzig said complaints about Hobbie should have gone   
   through her.   
      
   According to the federal complaint, the investigation into   
   activity involving Hobbie’s computer began in June after a   
   covert law enforcement computer detected child pornography being   
   shared by a computer with an IP address later linked to Hobbie’s   
   home. He is accused of using a peer-to-peer file sharing program   
   to receive and distribute the illegal images.   
      
   Hobbie, if convicted, faces at least five years and up to 20   
   years in prison, a term of post-release supervision of at least   
   five years and up to life, and a fine of up to $250,000,   
   officials said. If convicted, he will be required to register as   
   a sex offender.   
      
   Erin Jerome, staff writer, may be reached at   
   ejerome@thedailystar.com or 607-441-7221. Follow her at   
   @DS_ErinJ on Twitter.   
      
   https://www.thedailystar.com/news/local_news/teacher-s-arrest-   
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