Former Hoover substitute teacher sentenced in child pornography case

HOOVER, Ala. (WBRC) - A former substitute teacher in Hoover has been sentenced for sex crimes involving a child.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said Russell John Sweeney has been convicted on four counts of possessing obscene material.

Sweeney was arrested in June 2023 and charged with multiple counts of possessing child sexual abuse material.

Marshall said Sweeney accepted a plea agreement and will serve four years in prison and register as a sex offender.

“Children rely on the law to protect them when they cannot protect themselves. Mr. Sweeney possessed material depicting the sexual abuse of children, and this conviction holds him accountable for that harm,” said Attorney General Marshall. “We will keep working to deliver justice for these victims, including those who may never be identified.”

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