Updated Thursday --- January 18, 2008 --- 11:00am

Teaching assistant charged for relationship with teenager

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- A Waunakee teaching assistant has been charged with repeated sexual assault of a child for having an affair with a female high school student.

32 year-old Anthony Hirsch was recently put on unpaid leave after being caught in a federal investigation into child pornography.

He was charged yesterday in connection with his relationship with the girl, who was a freshman when he worked at Madison La Follette High School. Authorities say Hirsch admitted to police during the child porn investigation that he had a yearlong affair with the girl, now 19. She confirmed the relationship with police.

Hirsch was also charged in Dane County Thursday with knowingly possessing child pornography.

He faces a maximum term of prison and extended supervision of 60 years on the sexual assault charge, and a maximum of 25 years of prison and extended supervision on the child pornography charge.

AP

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Posted Thursday ---- January 3, 2008 --- 7:04pm

"We were contacted by federal authorities and they indicated that this individual was part of an internet porn ring," says Madison Police spokesman, Joel De Spain. This individual? 32 year old Anthony J. Hirsch. Madison Police arrested him last Friday charging him with one count of possession of child pornography.

"We executed a search warrant on his residence. We've seized some computers. We're currently going through those computers."

Adding to the investigation is Hirsch's profession. He's surrounded by children on a daily basis. Once employed at Madison's La Follette High School, he currently works as an educational assistant for special education children at Waunakee Middle School. Both schools have been notified.

"It's obviously one piece of information that no school administrator likes to hear or wants to hear," says Waunakee Community School District superintendent, Chuck Pursell. "We went back and checked our employment process in terms of how we went about checking recommendations."

As of now, he's on administrative unpaid leave until further notice. And while the Madison Police Department and the Dane County Sheriff's Office conduct their investigation, the Waunakee school district is conducting their own internally. However, they insist Hirsch has not victimized any of his students.

"We feel pretty safe and pretty confident. We've been assured by at least the Madison Police Department at this point and time that no Waunakee students are involved in this investigation at all."

Posted Thursday ---- January 3, 2008 --- 1:00pm

Police have arrested an educational assistant at Waunakee Middle School on child pornography charges.

Police seared the home of 32-year-old Anthony Hirsch Friday.

During the investigation, they learned that Hirsch may be involved in a commercial child exploitation website.

Hirsch is currently employed as an educational assistant for special education children at Waunakee Middle School

He formerly worked at Madison La Follette High School.