A Kelso man who has spent decades working in local schools is barred from contacting people under 18 in the wake of his Tuesday arrest on suspicion of possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material.
Cowlitz County Superior Court Judge Patricia Fassett set bail Wednesday at $100,000 for recently suspended White Pass School District superintendent Greggery Ray Teel, who is facing felony charges regarding child sexual abuse material.
Teel was still in Cowlitz County Jail as of 3:30 p.m. Wednesday.
He lives in Kelso but worked at the public school district located in Randle in Lewis County.
Cowlitz County Deputy Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Eric Bentson requested Teel's bail be set at $200,000 at his first appearance on Wednesday, citing safety concerns for children.
Cecilia Andrews of Cowlitz County Office of Office of Public Defense, who represented Teel at the hearing, requested bail be set at $15,000.
Teel, 52, also must report to offender services and is not allowed access to devices that can connect to the internet. His next hearing is scheduled for Jan. 28 in the Cowlitz County Jail courtroom.
Teel, as well several other defendants on the docket, appeared over Zoom for the hearing, as they were in the Cowlitz County Jail and the hearing was held at the Hall of Justice.
He requested a public defender be appointed to represent him, but after telling Fassett that he made about $8,000 a month, she said he doesn't qualify.
However, Teel's income may soon change. The White Pass School District — which covers Packwood, Glenoma and Randle — released a statement Tuesday saying Teel is suspended.
He is on administrative leave, and no longer has access to the building or students, reads the statement signed by White Pass School Board President Joel McMahan.
The district learned of Teel's arrest after the Longview Police Department's Tuesday announcement. The district has not received updates on the investigation outside of the police department's public press release, the statement says.
Teel was arrested during a Tuesday traffic stop as he left his Kelso home and booked just before noon, according to Longview police. The department spokesperson says there is no evidence that the alleged crimes include any school that previously employed Teel.
Teel was also the Toutle Lake School District elementary principal from 2022 to 2023, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Teel's LinkedIn profile also lists past employment at Napavine School District from 2013 to 2015 and Centralia School District from 2015 to 2020.
The Longview Police Department notice says detectives launched an investigation into Teel after receiving multiple referrals from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about local online accounts uploading and sharing illegal images of minors. Investigators linked those accounts to Teel.
The authorities also received tips from the public through the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. People can submit tips at report.cybertip.org or by calling 1-800-843-5678. Tips can be anonymous.
