Middle school janitor arrested for possession of child sex abuse images

LACONIA — Joshua A. Beebe, a custodian at Laconia Middle School, was arrested Thursday and charged with three counts of possession of child sex abuse images.

The arrest of Beebe, 34, of Laconia, comes as the culmination of a months-long investigation involving the Laconia Police Department and the Internet Crimes Against Children task force. Beebe's occupation at the school has brought extra concern and scrutiny to the case.

“In the latter part of September, we received several cyber tips through ICAC,” Laconia Police Chief Matt Canfield said. “They led us to information that sex-abuse images had been uploaded through a certain WiFi network.”

That WiFi network was located at Laconia Middle School, where Beebe works as a second-shift custodian.

“We were able to link [the materials] to Beebe and obtain probable cause for a search warrant" at his address, Canfield said.

Laconia police, along with a pair of specially trained electronic-sniffing dogs, executed a search warrant Thursday at Beebe’s residence and arrested Beebe. No Laconia students appeared in Beebe’s materials, according to the police.

“We took a proactive K-9 search of the middle school common areas,” Canfield explained. “As a custodian with access to the school off hours, we wanted to verify there were no hidden electronic devices.”

After searching the school, including locker rooms and bathrooms with the electronic-sensing dogs, the police found no recording devices.

Laconia School District Superintendent Steve Tucker issued a letter to families Friday, confirming that no devices were detected. The letter also stated that Beebe had worked for the district for the past two years, and that he is now on “immediate leave.”

“Our number one priority is the safety and well-being of our students and staff,” Tucker wrote. “I welcome your questions and will keep you updated if we receive any additional information.”

Canfield said he wasn’t yet sure if Beebe had a criminal history or history of sexual misconduct.

“We weren't familiar with him before he came on the radar for this case,” Canfield said.