WASHINGTON — A public schoolteacher in Howard County, Maryland, has been found guilty of assaulting a 14-year-old boy he met on the Internet.
Christopher Russell Fox, 37, of Randallstown, pleaded not guilty in court on Tuesday afternoon, but was found guilty of a 3rd degree sex offense. His sentencing date has been set for Jan. 21, 2016.
Fox initially made contact with the teen in June of 2014, when they met online through a teen dating site. They communicated over KIK, an instant messaging program, and through text messages. Fox used the name “Daniel McCain,” and told the boy he was 16.
Eventually, the two agreed to meet in person. When they met up in July of 2014, at a playground near the boy’s house, the boy realized that Fox was not who he said he was. The boy said he shined his cellphone light into Fox’s face and asked how old he was. Fox told the boy he was in his late 20s.
The teen told police that Fox engaged in a number of sex acts with him, but did not threaten him or use a weapon. Afterward, the boy called the police and reported the incident.
Fox was not arrested until December of 2014, after police were able to use forensic evidence gathered at the scene, as well as evidence of texts and online communication, to identify the man pretending to be Daniel McCain.
Fox was hired as a technology teacher by the Howard County School System in 2003. He worked at Atholton High School, Folly Quarter Middle School and Mount View Middle School. Fox is no longer employed by the school system.
Anyone who may have engaged in inappropriate contact with Fox, who used fake names on the Internet, is asked to call the police at 401-313-STOP (7867).
