CHESTERFIELD, Va. (WTVR)--A Chesterfield County school custodian, who has been suspended without pay, will soon stand trial to face several child porn charges.
Richard Scott Tracy was arrested back in October after his wife notified police that she found sexually explicit images of children on his home computer.
She says she was heartbroken to discover the person she thought she knew “was completely different.”
“I thought I married a nice, Christian man, a church-going man with a family in New Jersey who was just so happy that he found a nice woman to be with,” she said. “I thought I had a really nice guy.”
“I've come to realize that I married an illusion," Tracy's wife said.
The woman said she's still struggling with what she saw on her husband's computer and items she said she later found in her home after her husband's arrest.
She told CBS 6 that she found a box full of trinkets or child related items that her husband kept in a box. She said it was full of things he told her he found while cleaning up the school bathrooms.
"I don't know where he got it from and I don't think I want to know now," the wife added.
Chesterfield police confirm they arrested Tracy back in October, on his way to work. He is a custodian at Elizabeth Davis Middle School. School system spokesperson Shawn Smith sent CBS 6 a statement.
"Mr. Tracy was immediately suspended without pay over five months ago as required by state law when an employee is facing felony charges as such."
Police told CBS 6 News that they identified one local victim. They add Mr. Tracy's alleged crimes did not happen at the school.
Search warrants obtained by CBS 6 News show police confiscated a computer and several hard drives from Richard Tracy's home in his Harbor East Village neighborhood.
The documents show there were also videos involving nudity or sex acts with children. The warrants also detail a picture of Tracy and a five or 6-year-old girl sitting on his lap, pulling up her shirt, exposing her chest.
That document also reveals that Richard Tracy told police he took nude photos of a young girl from his neighborhood and that the pictures were on his computer.
Tracy's wife says in the days after his arrest, she found more disturbing pictures that were printed out and sealed in zip lock bags. She also says she found a stained article of clothing belonging to a child that was in a plastic bag.
She said she was nervous about opening any drawer after that.
“I mean I got physically sick every time I opened a drawer for fear of what else I was going to find.”“It's beyond me how it happened in the first place, but the fact that it happened sickens me," she said.
She also told CBS 6 that it became even more difficult because she recognized one of the neighborhood children in a picture that she found. The wife said she's upset and feels sorry for those who have been impacted by Tracy's alleged crimes.
Tracy's wife also said her concern grew because over the years he has been involved with church youth groups in the Mechanicsville area.
"The fact that he had been so involved with the youth groups at church before I met him; I started calling everybody I could think of.”
“I told them talk to your children and make sure he didn't do this to them too," she said.
Court documents show the alleged abuse occurred between April of 2011 and October of 2012. Tracy was indicted by grand jury in January and heads to trial March 12.
Court documents show Richard Tracy was given a court appointed attorney to represent him in this case. We reached out to the attorney for comment and are still waiting to hear back from him.
CBS 6 News will continue to follow this story and bring you the latest.
