A kindergarten teacher in Oaxaca has been sentenced to 198 years for raping three girls and being in possession of child pornography involving five others, all between three and six years old.

José Emmanuel R.O. was caught red-handed and arrested in May 2016 after a victim’s grandmother couldn’t find her at the kindergarten in Santa María Tlalixtac in the La Cañada region of the state. She was informed by the girl’s classmates that their teacher had taken her to his house nearby.

She found the house locked but forced open the door and found her granddaughter naked while her teacher was taking photographs of her.

Police arrested the man, which may have saved his life: local residents were trying to break him free in order to lynch him.

Authorities later found photographs of naked children among his belongings as well as on his mobile phone and laptop.

According to a statement by the state Attorney General’s Office the crimes were committed starting in 2015.

The newspaper Diario Marca reported in 2016 that the convict received a hereditary position as a kindergarten teacher in 2013 “despite not having the corresponding qualifications.” It also alleged that he was protected by the local head of the CNTE teachers union, who ignored the complaints of parents.

The accused has also been ordered to pay a fine for more than 1 million pesos (about US $50,000).

With reports from El Universal, SDP Noticias and El Imparcial de Oaxaca