Suspect's life in Sonoma County

Four years after the murder of JonBenet Ramsey became one of the most talked about crimes of the decade, John Mark Karr began working as a substitute teacher in Sonoma County schools.

Karr's brief stay in local schools ended about four months later when he was arrested and charged with possession of child pornography.

After he was arrested Wednesday in Thailand in connection with the 1996 slaying of the former child beauty queen, school officials rifled through files for details, old neighbors fielded dozens of questions from the media and a former landlord recalled a visit from police in 2001.

Karr, who lived in Petaluma and Santa Rosa, has been wanted in Sonoma County since December 2001 when he failed to show up for a court hearing in the pornography case.

At least one acquaintance believes Karr was living in Santa Rosa as late as 2003. And when his teaching credential was revoked in April 2003, a letter was sent to a Ronne Drive address in Santa Rosa.

"He lived here two years ago for a period of two weeks," said Herb Willsmore of Santa Rosa.

Willsmore, 60, said Karr did fix-it jobs around the house for him. During his stay, Willsmore said he helped Karr get to the post office "to get a passport or visa or something. He was talking about going to Ireland."

Karr disappeared, leaving nothing but a disconnected phone number, after telling Willsmore he was going to visit a friend in Rohnert Park.

Willsmore received a phone call from police soon after.

"I said, 'What? Are you looking for him? Why?' And they said 'Child porn,'" he said. "I was flabbergasted, but now that I know this, it makes sense."

Karr was arrested April 13, 2001, and charged with five misdemeanor counts of possession of child pornography. A computer seized from Karr's home reportedly contained pornographic images.

"He was brought to our attention by someone else for some concern about other cases," Sheriff's Sgt. Rob Giordano said. "I'm not going to comment about what those cases were."

Dennis Riley of Windsor rented a house on Chetwood Drive in Petaluma to Karr. When he sold the house, Riley told the Denver Post, police contacted him and asked to look through Karr's belongings before the family moved.

"They said he was out living another life" and confiscated a computer from the house, Riley said.

Contacted on Wednesday evening, he declined to elaborate on his comments.

After his arrest, Karr was held on $100,000 bail until Oct. 5, 2001, when he was released without bail and limited by a number of restrictions.

He was not allowed access to computers or the Internet, only allowed supervised visitation with his three children, could not be around schools, parks, theaters, arcades or any place children were present and could not work or volunteer in an occupation that catered to children.

Court records show divorce proceedings between Karr and his wife, Lara, began sometime in 2001.

A man who answered the door Wednesday at what's believed to be her Petaluma home said she would have no comment. However, KGO-TV reported she said Karr was with her in Alabama when JonBenet Ramsey was killed in 1996 in Boulder, Colo.

Karr's job application shows he taught in Winfield, Ala., schools from 1996 to 1999, Sonoma County school Superintendent Carl Wong said.

Karr worked from January through March 2001 in as many as 14 schools in the Petaluma, Old Adobe, Liberty and Wilmar elementary districts, Wong said.

In addition to Sonoma County schools, Karr worked at Pueblo Vista Elementary School in Napa for three months in 2001, according to the Napa Valley Register.

Sonoma County records indicated his last paycheck was issued April 4, 2001.

Sometime after Karr stopped substituting, the county Sheriff's Department alerted Wong to an investigation of a "non-school related incident," presumably dealing with the child pornography charges.

In June 2001, the county notified school administrators that Karr no longer was eligible to substitute in county schools.

Two years later, based on information provided to county educators by sheriff's investigators, the state Commission on Teacher Credentialing revoked Karr's credential to teach.

Wong said Karr underwent a fingerprint check and received clearance to work in schools from the state Department of Justice. He said his office never received any complaints about Karr.

"For me it is again a validation of why we have in place these very clear protocols ensuring public safety and student safety," Wong said.

The announcement of Karr's arrest ignited a media frenzy around Sonoma County where Karr had lived and worked.

At one point Wednesday afternoon, six TV trucks and other media vehicles were crammed into Addison Circle in south Petaluma, where Karr once lived.

Residents who came out to see what the commotion was about were mobbed by reporters and good-naturedly endured what one called the "media circus."

Sylvia Ross lived across the street from the Karrs and described John Karr as "a Southern guy, very friendly ... heavy into computers."

She said Karr fixed a problem with her computer once and was very talkative. She said his wife had a full time job, but Karr only worked intermittently.

Willsmore said nothing Karr did while staying at his home raised any suspicions, but on Wednesday he remembered the man with unease.

"There was something about him," he said. "I couldn't put my finger on it."