Former Substitute Teacher On Trial For Showing Porn In Classroom

A Pryor substitute teacher accused of showing pornography to junior high students went on trial Tuesday.

Jurors heard from several witnesses, including the 14-year-old students who were in class at the time.

Former substitute teacher John Autry left the courtroom visibly emotional during a recess on Tuesday.

The long-time substitute is accused of showing a pornographic image on the smartboard of an 8th grade classroom in February of 2017.

2/17/2017 Related Story:  Pryor Substitute Teacher Arrested For Putting Porn On Smartboard

In opening statements, defense attorney Misty Fields claims Autry was taking medication for Leukemia, which caused side effects – including impotence.

The defense claims Autry looked at pornography as a possible remedy.  They claim he was looking at pornography at school because his home DVD player was broken and he couldn’t afford to fix it.

His attorney argues Autry never intended for any students to see what he was looking at and therefore isn’t negligent.

Prosecutors argue that Autry had subbed at the school before and knew how to work the equipment.

They also claim looking at pornography while in charge of underage students is negligent, regardless of the intent.

The Mayes County District Attorney’s Office wouldn’t comment on the trial, but the defense attorney says she is confident in how the case is proceeding.

“I think today went very well.  We have a lot of confidence in our jurors, they seem to be paying a lot of attention, they’ve remained engaged throughout and that’s not always easy to do,” said Fields.  “We may finish the evidence tomorrow and send this to the jury, so we’re hopeful and confident.”

The jury could hear from Autry himself when testimony resumes Wednesday.