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Trial for Maui teacher accused of taking lewd photos is rescheduled

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Thomas T. Takeuchi

A jury trial for a  61-year-old Maui High School teacher, who is charged with taking nude photos of a 4-year-old girl in Washington state, is re-scheduled for Oct. 15.

Thomas T. Takeuchi was arrested May 22 at the Portland Airport in Oregon and taken to Whitman County, Wash., where he was charged with sexual exploitation of a minor. He entered a plea of not guilty on June 7.

 Takeuchi was released on his own recognizance until his trial on Oct. 15 in Whitman County Superior Court. His trial had previously been scheduled to start this month.

Takeuchi was placed on leave from his job as a social studies and science teacher at Maui High School before classes began Aug. 1. He has been at Maui High School since 1994.

The maximum penalty for sexual exploitation of a minor — a class B felony in Washington— is 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine. 

The Whitman County prosecutor’s office has said photos of the girl were taken between July and October 2011 when the child was 4 and Takeuchi was visiting the family. The photos were found in the child’s camera by her mother in March and turned over to Pullman detectives.

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