A suburban elementary school teacher was arrested Thursday and charged with making and attempting to make child pornography, U.S. Attorney David Metcalf said.
Eric Sanville, 39, of Norwood Borough, Delaware County, is a teacher at Gwynedd Square Elementary School in the North Penn School District, which is mainly located in Montgomery County, officials said.
Sanville made his first appearance Thursday afternoon in federal court in Philadelphia and was being held pending further court proceedings, Metcalf said.
Prosecutors allege that Sanville used the Snapchat social media app to separately entice two 8-year-old girls, including one living in Sweden, to engage in sexually explicit conduct to create images of those acts.
If convicted, Sanville faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, Metcalf said.
The North Penn School District issued a statement saying Sanville was “immediately placed on leave, prohibited from being present on District property, and directed not to have any contact with students.”
The district said it was notified Thursday by the FBI that Sanville was arrested at his home and charged with production of child pornography.
“The authorities shared that, based on the information they currently have, there is no evidence to suggest that any students in the North Penn School District or the surrounding area were involved. They also shared that they do not believe that district technology was involved in the alleged activity,” the district said.
“We recognize that news of this nature is deeply concerning to our families, staff, and community. The safety and well-being of our students remain our highest priority. North Penn School District is cooperating fully with law enforcement and will continue to review any information provided to us,” the district said.