An administrator at Wilmington’s Tower Hill School has been charged with five counts of dealing in child pornography, according to an email from Tower Hill Head of School Elizabeth Speers.
The employee has since been fired and banned from campus, she said in an email sent by the school Wednesday evening.
According to Speers, a search warrant carried out by police at the private school on Tuesday morning found that Director of Upper School Admissions William Ushler had pornographic images of children. The search was part of a larger investigation by the Delaware Department of Justice, she said.
At the time of Ushler’s arrest, Speers said she was told by police that none of the children in the pictures were Tower Hill students or kids who had contact with Ushler.
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“While we do not anticipate findings that indicate any member of the Tower Hill community has been harmed, our thoughts and prayers are with the children whose images are depicted and who are victims of such deplorable crimes,” Speers said.
Speers also acknowledged that Ushler’s arrest “may have reverberations and echoes” of former headmaster Christopher Wheeler, who was convicted on 25 counts of child porn in 2015.
The state supreme court later overturned his convictions on the basis that the search warrant was “unconstitutionally broad.”
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“We aim to be fully transparent and plan to communicate if we are made aware of additional findings related to this matter,” Speers said.
The email did not say when the school was notified of the investigation.
Tower Hill School Director of Communications Amy Schrei did not reply to a request for comment at the time of publication.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Associate Head of School Anthony Pisapia at apisapia@towerhill.org.
How to get help
National Suicide Hotline: 800-273-8255; en español 800-273-8255
Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741 for crisis support
National Sexual Assault Hotline: 800-656-4673
National Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-422-4453
Anyone who suspects child sexual or physical abuse or neglect is asked to call the Division of Family Services hotline at 800-292-9582.
Send story tips or ideas to Hannah Edelman at hedelman@delawareonline.com. For more reporting, follow them on Twitter at @h_edelman.
