Man who worked at 2 school districts charged with recording boys in locker rooms
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PINE RICHLAND, Pennsylvania (KDKA) — A man who worked at two school districts in Pennsylvania is facing child pornography charges after investigators said he recorded boys in the locker room.
Pennsylvania State Police said the investigation into 34-year-old Samuel Elliot Fischer began in 2023 after investigators got a tip about him while he was a student teacher at Owen J. Roberts School District in Chester County. During the investigation, police said they learned Fischer had been recording students in the locker room.
While going through files, investigators said they realized some images had been taken at the Pine-Richland School District in Allegheny County, where the district said he worked as an athletic trainer from 2014 to 2019.
Trooper Rocco Gagliardi with Troop B said Fischer had taken photos and videos at both the Pine-Richland high school and middle school. Students participating in multiple sports were recorded, Gagliardi said, and investigators are still going through images.
In a letter to families on Wednesday, the Pine-Richland School District said it had recently been contacted by Pennsylvania State Police about allegations against a former athletic trainer.
Pine-Richland said Fischer was employed through a third-party contractor that was responsible for making sure all of his clearance requirements were met. The district said it hadn’t received any notifications about his conduct before being contacted by Pennsylvania State Police.
Gagliardi said the photos were taken over a span of several years, and investigators had to go through yearbooks to find victims so police could contact them.
Gagliardi said investigators with Troop J are still looking at photos and finding new files. As of right now, Fischer is facing 35 different charges related to child pornography, two dozen of which are felonies, according to Gagliardi.
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