A teacher in Pennsylvania was arrested after he was formally charged with manufacture and attempted manufacture of child pornography..
Authorities announced that Eric Sanville was arrested on Thursday, August 27, at his home in Norwood, Pennsylvania, according to WPVI.
Federal investigators claimed that Sanville, 39, communicated with approximately 25 girls between the ages of 9 and 13 via Snapchat, with whom he allegedly sent and received pornographic pictures and videos.
Sanville was accused of pretending to be a minor while using two Snapchat accounts to communicate with the victims, according to the criminal complaint. He allegedly told the young girls that he wanted to start a group chat where they could share “spicy” pictures. He then allegedly asked girls to show him nude pictures of themselves before he would allow them to join the group chat.
He was reportedly caught after one victim came forward with her experience, while another victim’s case came to light when it was flagged by Snapchat.
Authorities said that Sanville admitted to creating the Snapchat accounts, while none of his victims appear to attend schools within the district.
Sanville has been charged with manufacturing and attempting to manufacture child pornography. If he is convicted, he will likely be sentenced to serve between 15 to 30 years in prison.
It is not currently clear if Sanville has entered a plea or retained legal counsel following his arrest.
At the time of his arrest, Sanville had been working for the North Penn School District for almost nine years. He worked as a special education teacher at Gwynedd Square Elementary School at the time of his arrest. However, the school confirmed that he will not be teaching when the school year begins on Monday, August 31.
The North Penn School District notified families about Sanville’s arrest via email on August 27. District officials said that Sanville had been placed on leave and he was prohibited from entering district property or contacting students.
“Law enforcement authorities have shared with the district that, based on the information currently available to them, there is no evidence to suggest that any North Penn School District students or other children in the surrounding area were involved,” North Penn School District Superintendent Todd Bauer said, per NBC 10. “Authorities have also indicated that they do not believe North Penn School District technology was used in connection with the alleged activity.”
The arrest has left the community in shock, and district parent Meghan Eveland told WPVI that the situation was “concerning to every parent in this school district.”
“My daughter has autism; she’s on the spectrum. I just want to make sure everyone is safe and parents have peace of mind,” she said.
Eveland added, “People are like this everywhere, but having it in our school district is very concerning.”
Parents, teachers, and guardians interested in learning more about protecting children from exploitation can find useful tools and information at Know2Protect.
