BURLINGTON — A former Chester teacher who pleaded guilty last year to possession of child sexual abuse materials was sentenced Monday to 10 years in prison in U.S. District Court in Burlington.
Norman Merrill II, 46, was arrested in May 2022 after a federal grand jury indicted him on three charges of producing and possessing child sexual abuse materials. A search warrant found several devices with electronic recordings of voyeuristic videos made with hidden cameras in various bathrooms at his home and in school, including of an unidentified female minor, according to court documents.
Merrill, who taught language arts at Green Mountain Union High School in Chester, was fired by the school board soon after his arrest.
He pleaded guilty in December to one count of possession of child sexual abuse materials, according to court documents. Two remaining counts were dismissed.
Merrill, who has been incarcerated at the Northwest State Correctional Facility in Swanton since his arrest, appeared in the courtroom Monday and read shakily from a prepared statement. He apologized and said he accepted responsibility for “the immeasurable pain, anger, disappointment and shame” he has caused many people, particularly “the victims of my crime.”
“I have failed my students and colleagues deeply. I committed an incredible breach of trust. I have brought them undue embarrassment and let them down as a role model for our school,” he said. “Words cannot express how much shame, guilt and self-loathing I feel for what I’ve done.”
Judge Christina Reiss commented on the unusual circumstances of the case involving a teacher and a father who does not have a prior record before announcing the 10-year sentence with credit for time served, followed by 10 years of supervision after release.
Reiss observed that Merrill seems to have been a good teacher and a good father but also someone who took a lot of risk to do something that caused irreparable and lifelong harm to others.
“The betrayal of trust is really at the heart of this case,” Reiss said, adding that she believes Merrill is remorseful and has people who can help him. She urged him to allow them to provide that support.
“People have sat where you are sitting and they have never come back,” she said. “You owe it to yourself, to your victims, to your family.”
In his letter, Merrill said he had a supportive family and a great childhood but was sexually abused by an older cousin — something he said he didn’t share with anyone until college.
His attorney Devin McLaughlin noted that Merrill has taken responsibility for the crimes and surrendered his educator’s license. He is getting professional help, and is “an excellent candidate for treatment,” McLaughlin said.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Ophardt argued that the crimes — involving multiple voyeuristic videos produced in different bathrooms involving children — are significant and “deeply disturbing.” He said Merrill should contribute to a restitution fund for such victims.
Reiss imposed victim compensation and restitution fines totaling $11,850.
At Merrill’s request, the judge agreed to have him serve the rest of his sentence at the Federal Medical Center, a prison in Fort Devens, Massachusetts, where he is to commence sex offender and mental health treatment as soon as possible.
The judge declined a request from his wife, who was in the courtroom, to hug him, “as a matter of fairness,” saying that she does not allow anyone to do so given the risk of passing illegal substances — though she said she believed that was unlikely in Merrill’s case.
Merrill has 14 days to appeal the sentencing decision if he chooses to. His attorney declined to comment.