From Tribune staff reports
TUSCALOOSA — A former Hewitt-Trussville Middle School substitute teacher has been sentenced to jail after pleading guilty to five felony counts of possessing child pornography. Justin Hrin Stegall of Northport had been working as a substitute teacher at HTMS at the time of his 2019 arrest by Northport police.
Justin Hrin Stegall, former HTMS substitute teacher, sentenced to jail on child porn charges.
Stegall initially pleaded not guilty to the charges, but changed his plea to guilty in February of 2022. Judge James Roberts handed down Stegall’s sentence earlier this month on April 17.
Roberts sentenced Stegall to 10 years in prison on each of the five felony counts, but ordered the sentences to be served concurrently and suspended eight years and six months, meaning Stegall will serve 18 months in jail.
Court documents show an anonymous informant came forward to Northport police in 2019 with concerns the teacher had suspicious images of students on his phone. The informant also believed Stegall was carrying on a text exchange with a minor at the time.
Related article: HTMS substitute arrest on child porn charges
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According to a court deposition, an investigator went to the home of Justin Hrin Stegall, 22, and asked him about the allegations. The investigator said Stegall admitted to having a problem with child pornography. The investigator said Stegall said he had been watching child porn for years and he wanted help.
Stegall was taken into custody on Thursday, May 23, 2019. He gave the officer his login and password information for his phone and laptop. The officer said he found five images of child porn. According to the deposition, those images included young, naked boys. It is unknown if the images were of students.
“When I learned of the arrest for possession of child pornography in Tuscaloosa, I notified the state department of education of his arrest,” former TCS superintendent Pattie Neill said at the time of Stegall’s arrest in 2019. “The Educator Certification Department verified the charges and changed his criminal background review in his credentials to ‘alleged misconduct.’
“It is important for the Trussville community to know that Mr. Stegall is no longer on our substitute teacher list, and he is not and will not ever be employed in Trussville City Schools in any capacity.”
