A Madison High School math teacher has been arrested and charged after authorities said he was photographing or recording students. Authorities said child pornography was also found on his phone.
The Madison County Sheriff’s Office was notified of a complaint against Robert Burnette on Tuesday, May 24, 2022, and began an investigation. The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation assisted.
Authorities said the child pornography was not related to any Madison County students.
Burnette is facing 47 charges, including six felony warrants for third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, three felony counts of secretly using a photographic imaging device to view another’s body or undergarments, 22 felony counts of possessing a photographic image obtained in violation of the peeping statue and 16 felony counts of secretly using or installing a photographic imaging device to arouse or gratify sexual desire.
Burnette has been suspended from Madison County Schools. He is being held in the Yancey County Sheriff’s Office Detention Facility under a $325,000 secured bond.
The Madison County Sheriff’s Office has contacted federal agents with the Department of Homeland Security for further assistance in the ongoing investigation.
