Ex-Hoover High principal sentenced for child-porn possession

A former associate principal at Hoover High School was sentenced Friday to eight years in prison for possession of child sex abuse material.

Charles Thomas Boyd DeFreitas, who had worked within the San Diego Unified School District for over 13 years, including as an administrator at Hoover High and a teacher at the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts, was arrested in March of 2024.

San Diego police said the arrest occurred after a minor reported that DeFreitas”sent and requested illicit images via a social media app.” Statements made during DeFreitas’ sentencing hearing in San Diego federal court indicated that juvenile was a 17-year-old former student.

DeFreitas was initially charged in state court, but his case was later transferred to federal court, where he pleaded guilty last year.

In his plea agreement, DeFreitas admitted possessing videos and images on a laptop, cellphone and four USB thumb drives that depicted juveniles engaged in sexual conduct.

The plea agreement states the offense he pleaded guilty to involves more than 600 images of child sex abuse material and that DeFreitas was aware that at least one of the people depicted in the material was under the age of 12.

Before imposing the sentence, U.S. District Judge Robert Huie said it was “unfathomable” that DeFreitas could seek out child sex abuse material given his job working with at-risk children and knowing the impacts that trauma can have upon them.

The judge also called DeFreitas’ interaction with the former student “very concerning” and a “gross abuse of trust.”

DeFreitas’ attorney, Patrick Griffin, said that severe childhood trauma and job-related stressors played a role in the crimes, but that DeFreitashas since made strides through treatment to address what led to the offense.

In a statement in court, DeFreitas said he was “ashamed” of his interaction with the former student and said he betrayed the teen’s trust.

“I betrayed my role as an educator. I betrayed the trust of an entire community of people. I hurt parents, I hurt colleagues, and I let so many people down,” DeFreitas’ statement continued. “I understand how this shakes people’s faith in educators, and I played a role in that and I’m sorry.”

Later in the day, NBC 7 received a statement from DeFreitas’ attorney Griffin, which read, in part:

“I would emphasize that Mr. DeFreitas accepted full responsibility for his conduct and has worked hard to address the underlying issues that brought him before the court. He began treatment voluntarily months before federal charges were filed and has remained deeply engaged in treatment ever since. The court also considered his history of severe childhood sexual abuse, which began when he was very young and continued for years. The perpetrator was ultimately prosecuted and sentenced to life in prison. That history was not offered as an excuse but as important context in understanding how decades of untreated trauma contributed to a brief personal and psychological crisis. Mr. DeFreitas is now in a much better place, committed to continued treatment and focused on accountability moving forward.”