WESTFIELD – A Springfield man had his case moved to Westfield District Court after he was charged with distributing obscene matter.
Michael Cieboter of 53 Ashley Street in Springfield was charged by Springfield Police, meaning his case would have been disposed of in Springfield District Court, but there was a conflict of interest.
The conflict involved “a relative (within the third degree) of an employee assigned to this court division or his/her spouse or domestic partner,” according to court records.
Therefore, Cieboter, 49, had his case heard in Westfield.
On February 7, a sixth-grade student of Van Sickle Middle School reported that she received a message on Facebook from a former teacher (Cieboter) at Mary O. Pottenger Elementary School in East Springfield, according to Springfield Police Department records obtained through Westfield District Court.
In the message, Cieboter allegedly told the sixth-grade student that her brother was receiving poor grades.
The sixth-grade victim ignored the message because she did not want to talk to a teacher on Facebook, according to the police statement.
Approximately two minutes after receiving the message on Facebook, she received a naked picture of Ciebotter, which was of him exposing his buttocks to the camera.
A few seconds later, Ciebotter allegedly texted the victim asking her to delete the picture saying “it was not meant for her,” according to the police report.
The victim immediately reported the incident to adults.
In Westfield District Court on November 9, the Commonwealth amended the charges to open and gross lewdness and lascivious behavior as part of a plea agreement, which included discussions with the victim and other involved parties, according to court records.
Ciebotter was placed on 18-months probation, ordered not to teach students from ages kindergarten through grade 12 anywhere and ordered to receive sex offender evaluation/treatment.
Staff Writer Christine Charnosky can be reached at [email protected]
