Crime & Safety

Police: Child Porn Found in Teacher's Greenwich Home

Police Chief James Heavey said local authorities have partnered with the FBI to investigate printed images of child pornography found in former public school music teacher Steven Allen's residence.

say they’re partnering with the FBI to investigate the extent to which a was connected to apparent child pornography discovered in his residence.

According to a press release issued by , a Greenwich detective searching the residence of Steve Allen discovered “numerous photographs in a storage bin that appeared to have been printed from a computer printer.”

“These photos were sexually explicit in nature, and many appeared to be child pornography,” Heavey’s statement continued.

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It is unclear whether and to what extent Allen is connected to the images, police siad.

Allen taught orchestra at in Riverside, a position he assumed after teaching at the .

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“At the present time there is no indication that any of the individuals portrayed in the photographs have any local connection or that Mr. Allen produced any of the photographs himself,” Heavey said in the statement. “The majority of the discovered photographs appear to be from websites that cater to this type of criminal activity, many of which are located in foreign countries.”

Police say they’ve solicited technical help from the FBI as part of the investigation, which could continue for several weeks.

"It is the intention of the Greenwich Police Department to determine Mr. Allen's level of involvement in this activity, identify and assist all possible victims and confirm that none of the victims are local residents," Heavey said in his statement.

Allen died Nov. 9, apparently by his own hand, according to police.

He has been remembered by former students and relatives as an enthusiastic, positive and influential educator.

Greenwich Public Schools Superintendent Roger Lulow said officials are “both surprised and distressed” by the news.

“We are surprised because there had been no indication or suspicion that Mr. Allen was involved in any activity of this nature, nor have there been any complaints or accusations regarding his behavior,” Lulow said in a statement that was emailed today to all public schools parents.  We are distressed because we do not condone or tolerate this behavior in anyone, much less a member of our staff.”

Lulow said officials can find no indication of unseemly behavior in Allen’s personnel file or elsewhere.

“We are relieved that the police have not found any evidence that local individuals have been victim to inappropriate or illegal acts in relation to Mr. Allen’s personal activities,” Lulow said. “

“Our primary objective at this time is to assist the school community, particularly the students, in dealing with this news,” he continued. “To that end, the District as a whole and Eastern Middle School and Greenwich High School (schools with students of Mr. Allen’s) specifically, will provide support and guidance for staff, students and families as needed. If parents have concerns about how to respond to specific questions from their children or if they are concerned about their children’s response to this information, they should contact their child’s school and ask to speak with the psychologist, social worker or guidance counselor.”

Lulow’s full statement is attached.

At the time of Allen's passing, Eastern Middle School Principal Ralph Mayo emailed parents.

"I have some very sad news to share with you. As some of you may know, Steve Allen, our Orchestra teacher and conductor, has been absent for the past few days in ill health. Sadly, we received the news this morning that he passed away suddenly and unexpectedly" Mayo wrote.

"This is a great loss to Eastern Middle School and the entire Greenwich Public School community," Mayo wrote. He also said, "We have a plan to share this information with our students (Thursday). (Thursday), support staff will visit each Advisor Base to share a brief statement with the students and we will also have a staff member attend each of the orchestra classes. Our guidance and counseling staff will be available throughout the day as students need someone to talk with privately."

At the time, police said: "Preliminary investigation has revealed that the resident suffered what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. A weapon recovered at the scene was registered to the deceased." Police also said, "Failing health conditions may have caused the deceased to become despondent."


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