Former Raymond Central teacher sentenced in child porn case

SAUNDERS COUNTY, Neb. (KOLN) - A former teacher was sentenced to probation Monday in a plea deal reached last year.

According to court documents, Jeffrey Nelson of Valparaiso was convicted in August 2022 on one count of Attempted Possession of Sexually Explicit Conduct, a Class IIIA Felony, as part of a plea deal with the state. Nelson agreed to plead guilty in exchange for his other nine charges being dropped. At his sentencing Monday, Nelson was given two years of probation and is required to register as a sex offender for the next 15 years.

Nelson, a former teacher at Raymond Central, was arrested in February of 2021 on charges stemming from the possession of child pornography.

A search warrant filed in January 2021 in Saunders County Court listed three cameras, a laptop, and a bank statement that were to be seized at Nelson’s residence. Valparaiso is located about 22 miles north of Lincoln.

The warrant listed several explicit photos and videos obtained in November, December, and January from the IP address associated with that residence via automated software designed to seek out devices offering to share child porn. According to the document, the media files contained images of girls as young as 4 to 7 years old being molested by adults, performing sex acts with adults, or witnessing adults performing sex acts in front of them. Some depicted teens and adults engaging in various sex acts on themselves or with others.

According to Nelson’s profile on the Raymond Schools website, he coached speech and drama for grades 6-12 and previously taught speech and drama in Omaha for 12 years.