Phoenix high school teacher arrested in investigation of sex acts with students on campus
Court documents said officers arrested 43-year-old Eric Chapman after a social media service provider alerted Phoenix police that one of its subscribers had enticed a minor. Documents said police reviewed media preserved in Chapman's account April 15 that showed him engaging in sexual acts with a boy at the Cortez High School campus.
Charging documents said that, after his arrest, Chapman admitted to having filmed sexual interactions with two current students and one former student that occurred on the school campus, in his classrooms, his coach locker room and inside his personal vehicle near their Phoenix homes.
Chapman told police he met the three boys through adult dating apps and that he recognized them as his students. They were underage when they engaged in sexual acts, documents said. Documents added that Chapman also sent pictures and videos of himself masturbating.
Charging documents said Chapman described multiple instances in which he performed various sexual acts with his students as recently as the first week of April and also admitted to having downloaded several hundred pictures and videos depicting sexual exploitation of children who were as young as 7.
Chapman said he found the child sexual abuse material through the Tor browser, which allows users to navigate the dark web, documents said.
Arrest documents said detectives interviewed one of the students, a 16-year-old boy, along with their parent, who admitted to having been in Chapman's vehicle behind a grocery store where Chapman 'wanted to do stuff' but declined to elaborate as he felt uncomfortable and wasn't ready to say more.
A 17-year-old student declined to give a statement or participate in a police review.
Documents said detectives also interviewed a 22-year-old student in northern Arizona who admitted to being sexually involved with Chapman when he was a 17-year-old student and acknowledged the relationship was inappropriate but continued to engage in sexual acts with Chapman and didn't wish to elaborate further.
Police booked Chapman into jail on 11 felony counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and seven counts of sexual conduct with a minor for a total of 18 felony counts. He was held on a $250,000 cash-only bond.
His next court hearing was scheduled for April 25 in Maricopa County Superior Court.
Kim Mesquita, a spokesperson for the Glendale Union High School District, shared what the district sent to parents.
'We are writing to inform you that Cortez High School administration was notified by the Phoenix Police Department that one of our teachers was arrested on charges related to crimes against children. Upon learning of the allegations, school and district administration took immediate action. The teacher has been relieved of all duties," the notice read. "The Glendale Union High School District takes these matters seriously and works closely with law enforcement to support their investigations and ensure student safety. As this is an active police investigation, we are unable to share further details. Thank you for your continued partnership and support.'
Reach the reporter Perry Vandell at perry.vandell@gannett.com or 602-444-2474. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @PerryVandell.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Police: Phoenix high school teacher recorded sex with minor students
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