Greater Victoria teacher permanently banned from teaching after child porn conviction
Correction: A previous photo credit for this story mentioned Gregory Garost, a middle school teacher who was suspended for inappropriate conduct in 2019. Garost’s suspension is not related to this case and was mentioned in error.
An elementary school teacher in the Greater Victoria School District (SD61) had his teaching certificate permanently banned after being convicted of possessing child pornography.
Travis Curry Mitchell first received a teaching certificate in 2018.
In June 2020, SD61 filed a report about Mitchell to the B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation, and by July of that year he had signed an undertaking not to take on any teaching role in the province.
The commissioner says police first began investigating Mitchell in June 2020, after police received a report that he had inappropriately communicated with a minor outside of his teaching profession, but while Mitchell was in a "position of trust" with the child.
He was arrested on June 9, at which point police searched his phone and computer and found child pornography on the devices, according to a consent resolution agreement between the commissioner and Mitchell.
In April 2021, Mitchell pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography. He was sentenced to an 18-month conditional sentence followed by 12 months of probation on Oct. 13, 2021.
The conditions of his probation include a ban on communicating with anyone under the age of 16, and a 10-year inclusion on the National Sex Offender Registry.
Since the incident occurred while Mitchell was working as an elementary school teacher in the Greater Victoria School District, the B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation decided to place a lifetime ban on reissuing him a teaching certificate.
The commissioner laid out the penalty in a consent resolution agreement that was made public Tuesday, which Mitchell agreed to.
"Mitchell agrees not to make any statement orally or in writing which contradicts, disputes or calls into question the terms of this agreement or the admissions made in it," reads the agreement.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'He didn't want to die': Family of Calgary man killed in standoff speaks out
Family of a Calgary man killed after a 30-hour standoff with police last week are speaking out, sharing details of the tense and heart-wrenching experience.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Ohio mom who left toddler alone 10 days when she went on vacation pleads guilty to aggravated murder
An Ohio mother whose 16-month-old daughter died after being left home alone in a playpen for 10 days last summer while she went on vacation was sentenced Monday to life in prison with no chance of parole.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
5 charged in Calgary kidnappings that targeted women
Calgary police have charged five men in a pair of kidnappings last year that targeted innocent victims.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Canadian commander of volunteer fighter group dies in Ukraine
A Canadian-born commander of the so-called Norman Brigade, a volunteer fighting group in Ukraine, has died.
Woman, 18, killed by co-worker's vehicle on Highway 1 in Moose Jaw
Moose Jaw police say an 18-year-old woman who was at work has died from injuries she sustained in a collision with a vehicle being driven by her co-worker last Thursday.