Former band director sentenced to 14 years in child porn case
MESQUITE, Texas - A long-time band direction from North Texas faces 14 years in federal prison for sexually exploiting children.
Federal prosecutors said 55-year-old James Earle Cude pleaded guilty in August to receiving child porn.
He was arrested last year after chatting online and then showing up to meet a law enforcement officer he believed was a 13-year-old boy.
According to court documents, Cude admitted he used the messaging app Kik to download child pornography, including a video of a young boy being raped by an adult man.
Agents also testified that he used various messaging apps to chat with underage teens, request sexually explicit images and propose meetings.
Cude served as a band director in North Texas for more than a decade. He had been working at North Mesquite High School for less than a year when he was arrested.
Mesquite ISD said it was not aware of any inappropriate behavior between Cude and any students.