Provo teacher in child porn investigation found dead

PROVO — A veteran teacher in Provo was found dead in Idaho of an apparent suicide over the weekend as an investigation into his possible involvement in a child pornography case continues.

Jason Zimmerman, a popular teacher at Amelia Earhardt Elementary, was found dead in Idaho Saturday, a couple of weeks after police served a search warrant at his home.

More than 35,000 images of child pornography were downloaded over the past year to a file-sharing ID linked to Zimmerman, according to a search warrant filed in 4th District Court. Police say the downloading occurred over a neighbor's Internet connection that was not password-protected.

Zimmerman was never arrested or charged. Provo Police Sgt. Brandon Post said the investigation into the child porn images will continue until detectives can make sure there are no other victims. If the result of the investigation still leads to Zimmerman, no charges will be filed because of his death, Post said.

Zimmerman had been under investigation since January and on leave since July 27. He won the prestigious Milken Award in 2006, one of the highest honors an educator can receive.

— Pat Reavy, Sam Penrod

Twitter: DNewsCrimeTeam