Delco principal charged with possessing kiddie porn

A former Delaware County middle school principal has been charged with allegedly possessing child pornography, the U.S. Attorney's office announced Tuesday.

Troy Czukoski, 42, was on leave from his post as principal at the Springton Lake Middle School in the Rose Tree Media School District. He recently resigned, according to district officials.

A search warrant executed on Oct. 18 found two flash drives and 48 CDs and DVDs with more than 150 images of "children engaging in sexually explicit conduct" which had been "shipped and transported in interstate and foreign commerce," according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

In an emailed statement, Joseph Green, Czukoski's lawyer, said his client was an adult survivor of childhood sex abuse. Czukoski, he said, suffered "after-effects" as a result of the abuse and is receiving psychiatric treatment.

"He has agreed to plead guilty to possessing images that he has learned are prohibited, and he accepts responsibility for possessing these images," Green said in the statement.

In October, Superintendent James Wigo Sr. said the district received a call from the U.S. Postal Service alerting them to a federal investigation. At the time, the school did not have any information on the nature of any allegations, he said.

"There is no evidence that Dr. Czukoski ever mistreated any of our children. For this we are all relieved and thankful," said Wigo in a statement emailed today.

If convicted Czukoski, of Exton, could face up to 10 years in prison.

Contact staff writer Mari A. Schaefer at 610-892-9149, mschaefer@phillynews.com or @MariSchaefer on Twitter.