JeffCo Schools Personnel Director Faces Federal Child-Porn Charges

Dan Carsen | July 29, 2016

 ========= Old Image Removed =========Array
(
    [_wp_attached_file] => Array
        (
            [0] => 2016/07/KirkhamMugShot.jpg
        )

    [_wp_attachment_metadata] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:5:{s:5:"width";i:620;s:6:"height";i:310;s:4:"file";s:26:"2016/07/KirkhamMugShot.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:9:{s:6:"medium";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:26:"KirkhamMugShot-336x168.jpg";s:5:"width";i:336;s:6:"height";i:168;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:26:"KirkhamMugShot-140x140.jpg";s:5:"width";i:140;s:6:"height";i:140;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"wbhm-icon";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:24:"KirkhamMugShot-80x80.jpg";s:5:"width";i:80;s:6:"height";i:80;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:13:"wbhm-featured";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:26:"KirkhamMugShot-600x310.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:310;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:20:"wbhm-featured-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:26:"KirkhamMugShot-600x310.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:310;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:26:"KirkhamMugShot-470x235.jpg";s:5:"width";i:470;s:6:"height";i:235;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:28:"ab-block-post-grid-landscape";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:26:"KirkhamMugShot-600x310.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:310;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:25:"ab-block-post-grid-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:26:"KirkhamMugShot-600x310.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:310;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:26:"KirkhamMugShot-125x125.jpg";s:5:"width";i:125;s:6:"height";i:125;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:12:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";s:11:"orientation";s:1:"0";s:8:"keywords";a:0:{}}}
        )

    [_imagify_optimization_level] => Array
        (
            [0] => 1
        )

    [_imagify_data] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:2:{s:5:"stats";a:3:{s:13:"original_size";i:129572;s:14:"optimized_size";i:77956;s:7:"percent";d:39.840000000000003;}s:5:"sizes";a:7:{s:4:"full";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:54:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/07/KirkhamMugShot.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:33157;s:14:"optimized_size";i:16745;s:7:"percent";d:49.5;}s:9:"thumbnail";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:62:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/07/KirkhamMugShot-140x140.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:5680;s:14:"optimized_size";i:3818;s:7:"percent";d:32.780000000000001;}s:6:"medium";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:62:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/07/KirkhamMugShot-336x168.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:14152;s:14:"optimized_size";i:9510;s:7:"percent";d:32.799999999999997;}s:13:"wbhm-featured";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:62:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/07/KirkhamMugShot-600x310.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:32913;s:14:"optimized_size";i:20505;s:7:"percent";d:37.700000000000003;}s:20:"wbhm-featured-square";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:62:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/07/KirkhamMugShot-300x300.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:15927;s:14:"optimized_size";i:9488;s:7:"percent";d:40.43;}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:62:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/07/KirkhamMugShot-470x235.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:22836;s:14:"optimized_size";i:14245;s:7:"percent";d:37.619999999999997;}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:62:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/07/KirkhamMugShot-125x125.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:4907;s:14:"optimized_size";i:3645;s:7:"percent";d:25.719999999999999;}}}
        )

    [_imagify_status] => Array
        (
            [0] => success
        )

    [_media_credit] => Array
        (
            [0] => 
        )

    [_navis_media_credit_org] => Array
        (
            [0] => Tuscaloosa County Jail
        )

    [_navis_media_can_distribute] => Array
        (
            [0] => 
        )

)
1675655066 
1469809003

The legal picture for Jefferson County Schools’ jailed human resources director has become even darker. Brett William Kirkham already faces charges that include having sex with a student. Now he faces federal child-pornography charges too. Joyce White Vance, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama, today announced the indictment against Kirkham, a longtime area educator.

He’d recently asked to have his $500,000 bail lowered so he could be free while awaiting trial on sex and child-porn charges stemming from Jefferson County and Tuscaloosa County. Those allegations include a years-long sexual relationship with a then-minor male student.

The human resources director and former middle-school principal is on administrative leave and now faces four federal counts too: one count of coercion and enticement, two counts of receipt of child pornography, and one count of possessing child pornography. Kirkham could face a maximum of life in prison and $1,000,000 in fines. He’s scheduled for arraignment in federal court August 11.

The FBI, Tuscaloosa Police, and Hueytown Police investigated the case. Local prosecutors have described Kirkham as a predator. Defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty. A spokesperson for Jefferson County Schools said she could not comment on the ongoing case.