Authorities arrest Westborough school custodian for possession of child porn
A school custodian in Westborough was arrested on Thursday for possession of child pornography following an investigation by the Massachusetts State Police Cyber Crime Unit.
The investigation began back in August, when the Massachusetts State Police Cyber Crime Unit received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding suspicious activity related to child pornography on a personal cloud storage account.
Troopers traced the activity to an IP address associated with a residence in Westborough, where the suspect, 25-year-old Luis Guncay-Barros, was identified.
Under federal law, electronic service providers are required to report such activities to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which led to the involvement of the Massachusetts State Police.
Troopers secured a warrant for the suspect’s cloud storage and discovered child pornography matching the initial tip from NCMEC.
Further investigation revealed that Guncay-Barros had accepted a job at a technical high school, raising concerns due to his access to children.
Then, on October 9, law enforcement, including the United States Secret Service and Westborough Police Department, executed a search warrant at the suspect’s residence, establishing probable cause for his arrest.
State and local police have notified the school community where Guncay-Barros worked as a custodian.
Assabet Valley Regional School District Superintendent Ernest Houle issued the following statement:
Good evening,
The Assabet Valley Regional School District is aware that a recently hired member of the custodial staff has been arrested and charged with crimes against children. The severity of the charges are deeply disturbing.
In accordance with district policies and procedures, the employee was immediately placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the ongoing investigation.
There is no indication at this time that the allegations involve any Assabet student, staff member, or faculty member. The employee was assigned to the 3-11 p.m. shift and had limited contact with students.
The employee was hired two weeks ago and had passed all required background screenings, including a state-mandated Criminal Offender Record Information check.
We are cooperating fully with the ongoing investigation with the Massachusetts State Police and Marlborough Police. The District will have no further comment as this is both a personnel matter and active legal case.
Sincerely,
Ernest F. Houle, Superintendent- Director
Guncay-Barros was transported to the Millbury Barracks and arraigned in Westborough District Court.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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