FAIRHOPE – Fairhope High School band director Anthony Wayne Fillingim was arrested Wednesday, Jan. 27, on four felony charges of possession of obscene matter, investigators with the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday.
Fillingim, 43, was charged after deputies searched his Daphne home. A warrant had been issued after an investigation of reports determined that that Fillingim had downloaded sexually explicit images of someone younger than 17, a Sheriff’s Office statement said.
Investigators searching his home found at least one electronic device that was directly related to the transfer of the unlawful images. They also seized other devices that are being checked, the statement said.
Fillingim was released from the Baldwin County Corrections Center on a total of $60,000 bond, according to jail reports. Possession of obscene matter is a Class C felony under Alabama law. A person convicted of the offense can be sentenced to one to 10 years in prison.
Superintendent of Education Eddie Tyler said the arrest was reported to school officials, but he could not elaborate on a personnel matter.
“We have been made aware of the arrest,” Tyler said. “Mr. Fillingim has been place on administrative leave. We are in contact with the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office and cannot speak further on the employee matter at this time.”
Fillingim was a 1995 graduate of Fairhope High School, according to school reports. He returned as a teacher in 2014.
The investigation is continuing and the case will be presented to the Baldwin County District Attorney’s Office. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s Internet Crimes Against Children unit also took part in the investigation, the Sheriff’s Office statement said.
