A former Kentucky high school teacher has been arraigned on several charges related to child pornography.
James H. Miller Jr., 50, a former journalism teacher at duPont Manual High School, has been charged with two counts of promoting a sex performance by a minor under 16 years of age and two counts of possession of matter portraying a sex performance by a minor.ccording to the Commonwealth’s Attorney Office, the charges stem from two videos discovered on Miller’s phone of him filming a minor undressing. The minor in the videos were not his students, according to reports. A no-contact order has been issued related to the victim, but details about who the victim is remain unknown due to their age.
First Assistant Erwin Roberts of the Commonwealth’s Attorney Office told the Courier Journal that “no public school children were involved,” but he did not go into further detail.
The disgraced teacher resigned from the school in March. According to his resignation letter, obtained by the Courier Journal, he cited “personal circumstances beyond my control.” The letter said that his resignation was effective mid-April, but he has not been teaching since January.
“One of the greatest, most challenging, and most fulfilling tasks of my life has been working at duPont Manual, my alma mater,” he wrote in his resignation letter. “Unfortunately, and with great regret, I must submit my resignation, effective April 13, 2022, due to personal circumstances beyond my control.”
The newspaper noted that “typically, JCPS reassigns teachers to non-instructional roles if they know they are under investigation by the district or law enforcement. JCPS personnel documents show no record of Miller being reassigned to a non-instructional role, and Miller’s formal resignation paperwork shows he was still assigned to work at Manual when he resigned in spring.”
According to a report from local station WDRB, “Miller was a well-known teacher at Manual and noted Louisville media critic. In 2020, under his guidance, student journalists at the Manual redeye newspaper uncovered training materials for Kentucky State Police that included quotes from Adolf Hitler.”
The report added that “Miller was the host of ‘From Classroom to Newsroom,’ a weekly radio show on WFMP about education and journalism. He also served as a media critic for both Insider Louisville and WFPL.”
Miller was supposed to be arraigned in May, but had left the state. He was arrested in Mississippi, but later released on bond.
Following this week’s arraignment, Miller was once again released after posting a $25,000 full cash bond.
