Natomas Teacher Gets 30 Days In Child Porn Case

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — A former Natomas-area teacher has been sentenced to jail time and will have to register as a sex offender.

Scott MacMillan was a teacher at Heron School. Back in 2017, he was arrested after an investigation into accusations he was using his cellphone to try and take inappropriate pictures of students.

Detectives said students saw MacMillan use his phone to record a 12-year-old girl under her desk.

Police investigators later seized MacMillan's phone and found images of what looked like girls' private parts.

Back in October, MacMillan pleaded no contest to charges of attempted possession of child porn, attempted use of a concealed camera to take photos of an adult victim for sexual purposes, and use of a concealed camera to take photos of a minor for sexual purposes.

On Monday, MacMillan was given a sentence of 30 days in county jail and 3 years of probation. He will also be required to register as a sex offender, according to the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office.

But some parents believe the light sentence doesn't reflect the seriousness of the crime.

"I think it's horrible. I think it's ridiculous and I think you should do a lot more time for that," said one parent with two students in the district.

Law professor John Myers, at McGeorge School of Law, said the sentence is no slap on the wrist.

"Spending 30 days in jail is not inconsequential. It's not 30 years, which if I was a parent I might think was appropriate, but the judge made a judgment call," Myers said. "His career is over, he's registered as a sex offender for the rest of his life, he'll never teach again and he has to go to jail for 30 days."

In a statement, the Natomas Unified School District said MacMillan was put on leave during the initial investigation. MacMillan resigned once the district began termination proceedings, officials say.