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Parents in Winchester got the news in a superintendent’s letter on a Friday in June — an eighth-grade teacher at McCall Middle School had been put on immediate leave, barred from school buildings and told to have no contact with students while a criminal case moved forward in Lowell District Court.
Jason Van Dinter, a McCall teacher, was arraigned June 12 on a felony charge alleging possession of child pornography, according to court records. The case charges Van Dinter under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 272, Section 29C. The court record lists Dec. 2, 2025, as the date of the alleged offense.
Van Dinter entered a not guilty plea at arraignment, according to the docket.
Judge Cara L. Krysil set bail at either $10,000 cash or a $100,000 bond. The court record says Van Dinter was ordered committed to the Middlesex County House of Correction if bail was not posted.
The docket also lists conditions that would apply if bail were posted. Those conditions include GPS monitoring and surrender of a passport.
A June 15 court entry says, “Passport surrendered. In Cash Office.”
A pretrial hearing is scheduled for July 7 at 9 a.m. in Lowell District Court.
The criminal case moved quickly into school life. In a letter to parents and staff, Superintendent Dr. Frank Hackett said the district acted as soon as it learned of the allegations.
Hackett wrote that Van Dinter was not in school Friday, June 12, and would not be allowed to enter any building in Winchester Public Schools or contact students while the case is pending.
He also addressed what is likely the first question for many families: whether the charge involved children in Winchester schools.
“Currently, we have no evidence suggesting that these criminal charges involve any students within the Winchester Public Schools,” Hackett wrote.
Hackett said he was limited in what he could share because the matter involved both police and personnel issues. On Friday evening, he told Winchester News he had no further information at that time.
School Committee Chair Tim Matthews declined to comment, saying any future statement would come through the superintendent’s office.
The court file adds details the school letter did not. It identifies the charge as a felony and shows the case originated in Lowell District Court.
It also records the procedural steps from June 12: Van Dinter was arraigned before the court, advised of his right to counsel and entered a plea of not guilty. The docket says Roland L. Milliard was added as appointed counsel for bail purposes only.
One docket entry notes “reasons for ordering bail,” though the available court materials do not spell out those reasons. Another says Van Dinter was notified of his right to seek bail review in Superior Court.
Under Massachusetts law, the charge prohibits knowingly purchasing or possessing visual material depicting a child under 18 engaged in sexual conduct. For a first offense, the law allows a penalty of up to five years in state prison, up to 2 1/2 years in jail, or a fine of $1,000 to $10,000, or both a fine and imprisonment.
The charge remains an allegation and Van Dinter is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
Hackett’s letter did not describe the underlying accusation beyond calling it a criminal matter, but it did speak to the breach of trust such an allegation can create in a school district.
“Our educators honor that trust every day, and it is deeply disturbing when an individual’s conduct violates that trust,” he wrote.
He closed with a promise that was also a limit.
“I can assure you that we regard this with the utmost seriousness and will act swiftly and appropriately,” Hackett wrote. “I will share additional information as I am able.”
Before these allegations, Van Dinter was a history teacher at McCall in the district’s “Silver Team” curriculum. He has also directed theater productions at Winchester High School.
What’s next in the case?
For now, the public record is mostly procedural: a charge, a plea, bail, release conditions and a next court date. It does not answer larger questions about how the allegation surfaced, what investigators say they found or how long the case may take to resolve.
Calls to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office have not been returned.
What changed on June 12 is clear enough. A teacher who had been part of the daily routine at McCall was suddenly absent. The district moved to separate him from students and school property. In court, the case began in formal terms, with a felony charge, a not guilty plea and conditions that will follow the defendant if he is released before trial.
Unless the case is resolved earlier, the next public step is set for July 7, when Van Dinter is scheduled to return to court for a pretrial hearing in Lowell.
Will Dowd is a Massachusetts journalist who covers municipal government and community life for Winchester News. He is also the founder and editor of The Marblehead Independent, a reader-funded digital newsroom.
Chris Stevens is an award-winning journalist who has spent 25 years chasing, editing and photographing stories on the North Shore. She is the co-founder and managing editor of Gotta Know Medford.
