A Pennsylvania school employee is facing 74 child pornography charges after an 11-year-old student reportedly received gifts from a “secret admirer.”
Ethan Colpetzer, 30, was charged with 74 second-degree felony counts of child pornography and one count of copying obscene material, the Altoona Mirror reported.
Colpetzer, who worked as a janitor at the Claysburg-Kimmel Elementary School, became the subject of an investigation by Pennsylvania State Police, Greenfield Township Police, Blair County District Attorney’s Office, and the school’s own resource officer after an 11-year-old student allegedly said a “secret admirer” had left gifts on her desk for about a month, the Bedford Gazette reported.
The girl reportedly told a teacher when her “secret admirer” allegedly identified himself as “Ethan” via a note. Colpetzer allegedly admitted to officers that he had left the gifts, per the Gazette.
Staff reportedly told investigators that Colpetzer had asked the girl’s name and had been observed taking pictures of students in the lunch room.
Multiple searches of Colpetzer’s phone allegedly surfaced dozens of disturbing images, per the Mirror:
Colpetzer permitted the school resource officer to view his phone, and the officer observed a photo taken of an elementary school student zoomed in to target her bending over a cafeteria table, police reported.
The school officer told police that he also observed a photo of what he believed depicted an unrelated, nude prepubescent child.
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A search warrant executed on Colpetzer’s cellphone Feb. 13 revealed about 74 photos of prepubescent children performing various sex acts on themselves, other children or adults and 72 images of children posing naked. There were also three images of bestiality, police reported.
First Assistant District Attorney Nichole Smith of the Blair County District Attorney’s office wrote in a statement, “The safety of our community—especially our children—is one of the most important responsibilities we have as prosecutors … Possessing such images is neither a minor offense nor a victimless crime.
WJAC reported Colpetzer is currently in custody at the Blair County Prison and his bail is set at $100,000.
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