School custodian charged with possession of child pornography

A Milford school custodian was arrested this week on charges that he possessed child pornography. Douglas Mehan, 50, of 32 Bray Avenue, Milford, worked as a night custodian at Meadowside Elementary School. He was fired from his job after the charges were filed. "Milford Public Schools was made aware of an investigation involving an individual who was employed by the school district," states a press release issued by the school system. "Based on the nature of the investigation, the employee was immediately placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the police department’s investigation." "The investigations conducted by the police department and the school district found that the criminal charges were not related to the individual’s employment with the school district," Milford school officials said. According to police, in November the department began an investigation after receiving notification from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that videos containing child pornography were uploaded from a Milford residence. A search warrant was obtained and the investigation revealed the videos had indeed been uploaded at the home, police said. Mehan was arrested and charged with possession of child pornography in the first degree. He was held on a $25,000 bond to appear in court that day. School officials released the following additional information in response to media questions:• Mehan began his employment as a part time/temporary custodian on June 20, 2016 and worked sporadic part-time assignments throughout the summer and fall of 2016.• He was hired as a full-time night custodian on 12/1/2016 and assigned to Meadowside School.• On Dec. 21, 2016, Milford Public Schools was made aware of an investigation involving Mehan. He was placed on administrative leave the same day.• On Jan. 12, 2017, an arrest warrant was issued for Mehan. He was terminated from employment the same day.• The investigations conducted by the police department and the school district found that the criminal charges were not related to the individual’s employment with the school district. The police found no evidence of actions leading to his arrest that occurred while in the school buildings.• A search of Milford Public Schools computers found no evidence of improper use by Mehan.

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