Niagara teacher accused of allegedly sharing sexually-explicit material with students

A teacher with the Niagara Catholic District School Board is accused of sharing sexually-explicit material with a group of teen students.

An investigation began on Tuesday, June 19, after police received complaints about the 41-year-old woman, who teaches at Denis Morris High School in St. Catharines.

On Thursday, June 21, 2018, 41-year-old Stephanie Colangelo, a resident of the City of Port Colborne, was arrested and charged with the following alleged offences:

– One count of Make Available Sexually Explicit Material to Person Under 18 Section 172.1(1)(a)
– One count of Luring a child to commit Sexual Exploitation Section 172(1)(a) of the Criminal Code of Canada
– One count of Luring a Child to commit Make Child Pornography Section 172(1)(a) of the Criminal Code of Canada

Colangelo is currently being held in custody pending a bail hearing on Friday June 22nd, 2018 at the Robert S.K. Welch Courthouse in the City of St. Catharines.

The Niagara Regional Police Service’s ICE Unit is asking anyone with information relating to this investigation to contact Detective Constable Mike Pataran via email at nrpsice@niagarapolice.ca.

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Members of the E-Crimes Unit are aware that there is material related to the investigation circulating amongst members of the public. The Niagara Regional Police Service would like to remind members of the public that under Section 162.1 of the Criminal Code of Canada, it is against the law to distribute intimate images or videos of any person without the consent of the person depicted in the image or video.

The Niagara Regional Police Service is a member of the Provincial Strategy to Protect Children from Sexual Abuse and Exploitation on the Internet and conducts investigations into internet child exploitation offences in partnership with numerous Ontario police services. This investigative initiative has been made possible with financial assistance from the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services and the Ministry of the Attorney General.

Members of the public can report suspicious internet activities relating to child exploitation to the Niagara Regional Police Service, or online at http://www.cybertip.ca. Internet safety tips for parents, children and internet users are also available on the Cybertip website.