Crime

Mass. gym teacher facing child porn charges

The Waltham man has pleaded not guilty and remained in jail on bail.

October 3, 2025

1 minute to read

Authorities are charging a gym teacher with possession and dissemination of child pornography after they found incriminating material on his phone and at his home, officials said.

Stephen M. McDonough, 60, pleaded not guilty to charges of possession and dissemination of child pornography on Sept. 26 in Waltham District Court, according to court documents.

Authorities are holding him in Middlesex County Jail on a $25,000 cash bail.

According to State Police, in late August, the agency’s Cyber Crime Unit received information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about suspicious activity online related to child pornography.

In a subsequent investigation, troopers determined that the activity stemmed from a Waltham residence and that the person associated with the address was a gym teacher in several schools.

Due to McDonough’s occupation and access to children, State Police acted with urgency.

They secured a warrant for McDonough’s online profile, where they allegedly found child pornography. They also secured a warrant to search his residence.

With the material found on the suspect’s phone and at his home, troopers established probable cause that McDonough owned a digital account that possessed and disseminated child pornography, officials said.

State Police notified Belmont and Waltham, where McDonough worked as a gym teacher.

McDonough’s case is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing on Oct. 22.