BUFFALO — A former agriculture teacher at Clymer Central School pleaded guilty Tuesday to possession of child pornography involving a prepubescent minor.

Scott Aikens, 60, entered the plea before U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford in Buffalo.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy Murray, who has been handling the case, said that in late June 2018, Homeland Security Investigations in Buffalo received information that a user, identified as “EJD,” was active on a Thai based child pornography open website. Investigators traced the email address utilized by “EJD” to Aikens.

At the time of his arrest, Aikens served as the advisor to the student group Future Farmers of America; he began as a teacher in the Clymer Central School District in 2005.

The school board in October 2018 accepted Aikens’ resignation. “We’re just very happy to accept the letter of resignation given the circumstances that have recently unfolded,” Ed Bailey, Clymer superintendent, told The Post-Journal at the time.

“I just want everybody to know that we are all in this together as far as being in shock of what went on,” Bailey also said.

“We certainly in no way defend Mr. Aikens for what he did and the situation he’s in.”

On Sept. 14, 2018, Homeland Security Investigations and the New York State Police executed a search warrant at Aikens’ Route 474 residence in Clymer. Aikens told investigators that he viewed child pornography and that child pornography would be found on his laptop computer.

A search of the computer and other electronic devices turned up 683 videos and 22 images of child pornography.

According to prosecutors, some of the child pornography possessed by Aikens “depicted prepubescent minors or minors less than 12 years of age, and some of the child pornography possessed by the defendant contained sadistic or masochistic conduct or other depictions of violence.”

The investigation was handled by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations and the New York State Police.

Aikens is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 24 before Wolford. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, lifetime supervised release and a $250,000 fine.