Vice-principal at Abbotsford school arrested on child porn charges
Posted September 28, 2018 11:50 am.
Last Updated September 28, 2018 6:22 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
ABBOTSFORD (NEWS 1130) – A vice principal at a middle school in Abbotsford has been arrested and charged with child porn offences.
This was Michael Haire’s third year at W.A. Fraser Middle School. He had been working with the Abbotsford School District for 12 years.
He has since resigned.
“Mr. Haire was arrested earlier this month after a search warrant was executed at his home,” said Sgt. Judy Bird with the APD.
Police say computers, data storage devices, and cell phones were seized.
“[The Digital Forensic Lab] has revealed thousands of images and videos, depicting child pornography and child abuse,” said Bird.
Bird confirmed he was arrested after students returned to class for the school year. Haire, 38, has no criminal record.
Haire has been charged with Making available Child Pornography and Possession of Child Pornography.
“The Abbotsford Police Department has notified us of an active police investigation against Mr. Michael Haire,” read a statement from Superintendent Kevin Godden with the Abbotsford School District.
“We immediately took action and suspended him from his role as vice-principal at W.A. Fraser Middle School. Mr. Haire is no longer an employee with the Abbotsford School District. The investigation was also reported to the Teacher Regulation Branch.”
He added staff from the district’s critical incident response team will be sent to the school to support staff and students.
Godden said staff are cooperating with police and urges anyone with concerns about their child to contact their school principal.
Police are asking anyone who may have been victimized to call the Abbotsford Police Department’s Internet Child Exploitation Unit at 604-859-5225, text 222973 (ABBYPD) or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
– With files from Marcella Bernardo
Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Haire was fired. It has been corrected to reflect that Haire resigned from his position as vice-principal.
