NJ third grade teacher charged with having child sex abuse images

A 50-year-old elementary school teacher who lives in Gloucester County has been accused of keeping and sharing child sexual abuse or exploitation materials.

James Adams, of Washington Township, teaches third grade at Dr. William Mennies Elementary School in Vineland.

On Thursday, detectives from the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office’s High Tech Crimes Unit and Washington Township Police carried out a search warrant at Adams’s home, where he was then arrested.

Investigators recovered multiple electronic devices allegedly belonging to Adams, including one that had been traced as a source of child sex abuse materials sent via social media.

NJ teacher tells police he received child porn via social media

Adams then admitted to detectives that he had received such materials over social media, Gloucester County Prosecutor Andrew Johns said.

Adams was charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child via distribution of child sexual abuse or exploitation materials and third-degree endangering the welfare of a child via possession of child sexual abuse or exploitation materials.

He was being held at Salem County Jail, ahead of a scheduled appearance in state Superior Court on Friday.

School officials say safety is top priority after teacher arrest

“The safety and well‑being of our students and staff remain our highest priority," Vineland school administrators said in a written statement on Thursday.

They added "We are fully cooperating with authorities and will adhere to all legal and policy requirements throughout this process.”

The school did not immediately confirm his current employment status, including whether he was suspended.

As recently as March, Adams had been honored as “Staff Member of the Month.”

At the time, he was described as an “incredible 3rd-grade teacher who goes above and beyond” in a since deleted Facebook post.

The Vineland public school district includes 14 schools, serving over 10,000 students.

Anyone with potential information in the case can call GCPO’s High Tech Crimes Unit at 856-384-5524.

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