PA elementary school janitor was girl's 'secret admirer,' had 74 sexual images of children on his phone: DA
Ethan Colpetzer, a janitor at Claysburg-Kimmel Elementary School, allegedly singled out a student
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A Pennsylvania elementary school janitor allegedly left gifts, candy and notes for an 11-year-old girl as her "secret admirer" for a month and had more than 70 sexually explicit images of children on his phone, according to prosecutors.
Ethan Colpetzer, a 30-year-old janitor at Claysburg-Kimmel Elementary School, was arrested and charged with 75 counts of sexual abuse of children, as well as attempted corruption of a minor and copying obscene material.
He allegedly "singled out" a girl to other employees, asking for her name, and was allegedly caught by a faculty member taking photos of a student in the cafeteria, according to prosecutors in the Blair County District Attorney's Office.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}After a month of receiving secret gifts, the girl left a note for her "admirer" and asked what his name was. He wrote back, "Ethan," which raised a teacher's suspicion because there were no students with that name, prosecutors said.
Ethan Colpetzer, a janitor at Claysburg-Kimmel Elementary School in Pennsylvania, was arrested in a child sex abuse case.
A school resource officer investigating the accusations found a "zoomed-in" photo of a girl bent over at the lunch table, according to the police report.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The school resource officer also allegedly found a picture of a nude, unidentified child, which prompted a multi-department child pornography investigation.
Police executed a search warrant for Colpetzer's phone and found 74 photos of "young children performing sexual acts," according to prosecutors.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Police say Colpetzer admitted to saving the pictures from the internet and leaving the gifts for the 11-year-old girl, prosecutors aid.
Claysburg Elementary School, the school in which Ethan Colpetzer, the janitor, was charged with multiple counts of sexual abuse of children. (Google Maps)
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Police arrested Colpetzer on March 7. He was arraigned and placed in Blair County Prison with bail set at $100,000.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Claysburg-Kimmel School District officials said in a statement that Colpetzer was placed on leave from his job at the elementary school, which includes students in kindergarten through sixth grade.
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First Assistant District Attorney Nichole Smith told local news outlet WTAJ in a statement that "the safety of our community, especially our children, is one of the most important responsibilities we have as prosecutors."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"As such, the prosecution of those who possess child pornography will always be a priority for the Blair County District Attorney’s Office," Smith said. "Possessing such images is neither a minor offense nor a victimless crime. The District Attorney’s Office commends the Claysburg-Kimmel school staff whose vigilance and quick action allowed police to rapidly preserve and recover evidence."
Blair County Prison in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. (Google )
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"We are disturbed and disheartened by the information included in the allegations and wish to note that we have not received any further reports or other information suggesting that any Claysburg-Kimmel School District student was made subject to any form of inappropriate contact other than that which has already been reported," school officials told WTAJ.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We share in the District Attorney’s commendation of our staff whose vigilance and prompt reporting of the matter allowed for investigation and appropriate action to be taken as quickly as possible."