A former teacher at a Christian school in North Carolina appeared in a Greensboro courtroom on Tuesday, May 12, after prosecutors filed 10 additional charges against him, bringing his total to 20 felony counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor.
Richard Lynn Upright, 56, of Pleasant Garden, was originally arrested earlier this year on 10 counts. Prosecutors added the new charges on Monday, May 11, after detectives found 70 more images on an iPad recovered from his former classroom.
The Guilford County Sheriff’s Office began investigating Upright after receiving a tip while he was still employed at Vandalia Christian School. A search warrant was executed at the school on February 27. Detectives alleged that Upright used photo-editing software and artificial intelligence tools to superimpose students’ faces onto sexually explicit images before storing the material on his Google Drive account. Investigators found 111 such images in total.
Prosecutors told the court the victims depicted ranged from minors to women now aged around 30, suggesting the alleged conduct may have spanned at least two decades and extended to former students who were juveniles at the time.
Upright appeared virtually in an orange jumpsuit. His bond was set at $27 million, in addition to a previously granted $750,000 bond. He faces a potential sentence of up to 88 months per charge. Upright was dismissed from his position after the initial charges were filed.
The father of an alleged victim addressed the court, urging the judge to grant no bond. Court documents indicate some of the recovered material appeared to show a classroom setting, though investigators have not confirmed whether it was the Vandalia Christian School facility.
