Acalanes High teacher arrested for allegedly possessing child porn

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. -- A beloved Lafayette high school teacher was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of possessing child pornography at his Walnut Creek home, police said.

Marshall Pfeiffer, 66, retired from his post at Acalanes High School at the end of last year, according to police and a district official.

Officers served a search warrant at his home in the 100 block of El Camino Corto around 7 a.m., Walnut Creek police Lt. Lanny Edwards said.

Edwards said his bail was set at $20,000.

The county's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which is comprised of multiple law enforcement agencies, began investigating Pfeiffer and was able to locate child pornography files stored on his home computer, police said.

Pfeiffer has been cooperative in the investigation and Edwards said there is no evidence suggesting his alleged illegal activity extended outside his home or involved any of his students.

An Acalanes Union High School District official did not immediately respond to a request for comment about his tenure at the high school.

His name is listed on the website, RateMyTeachers.com, where he overwhelmingly received scores of five out of five stars.

Many of the comments described him as a "laid back" and "chill" teacher who often made jokes in class. Others called him "awesome" or their favorite teacher at the school and said he made their classes interesting and engaging.