A Georgia parent’s horrifying discovery about the extra money in their 13-year-old son’s bank account has led to the arrest of a former kindergarten teacher’s assistant.
The teen was allegedly paid $200 by Mark Penfield Eihorn, 27, to make a pornographic video of himself and send it back to him. according to My Texas Daily.
A subsequent investigation also revealed that a 12-year-old friend of the victim also participated in the 90-second video.
Eichnorn, who at the time worked as a teacher’s assistant at St. John’s Episcopal School in Abilene, Texas, later allegedly admitted to paying the children via Venmo after contacting them via Snapchat. reports Abilene Reporter News.
But when confronted about his interactions with the teens, Eihorn allegedly asked, “Just those two?”
Mark Eichorn, 27, was arrested after a parent in Georgia discovered he paid his son $200 to make a pornographic video and send it back to him
At the time, he worked as a teacher’s assistant at St. John’s Episcopal School in Abilene, Texas (photo).
The former teacher’s assistant also admitted it knowing that the children were only about 13 years old when he requested the video and paid them for it.
He then told authorities that he also trafficked child pornography on social media and had inappropriately touched a child.
During a subsequent investigation, authorities in Abilene executed a search warrant at Eichorn’s home and found nude photos of children who appeared to be younger than 10 years old on his cell phone.
Eichorn was ultimately arrested on May 9 and fired from his position at the school, but was soon released from the Taylor County Jail on $50,000 bond. according to Big Country Homepage.
He was ultimately indicted by a grand jury last month on charges of possession with intent to promote child pornography and possession of child pornography.
Eichorn allegedly admitted to paying the children via Venmo after contacting them via Snapchat, and told authorities he also trafficked child pornography on social media and touched a child inappropriately.
Eichorn pleaded guilty in federal court on Tuesday to producing child pornography.
He faces between 15 and 35 years behind bars, as well as additional federal charges of indecency with a child.
Eichorn is expected to be rearrested on these federal charges by Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Marshals Service, and will face a federal detention hearing later this week.
Meanwhile, another teacher and the school’s principal are also charged with failing to report child abuse.
Another teacher at the school, Kelsey Alexander (left) and the principal, Rebecca McMillon (right), are charged with failing to report child abuse
Prosecutors say a family from St. John’s Episcopal School came forward after Eichorn’s arrest and their son made allegations that Eichorn touched him inappropriately in January.
The mother claimed she called Kelsey Alexander, 34, the boy’s teacher, about the incident at the time, and Alexander in turn notified Rebecca McMillon, 55, the school’s principal. Big Country Homepage Reports.
McMillon later told the parents that she conducted her own investigation into the claims, and after reviewing surveillance footage and speaking with Eichorn, she determined that the inappropriate touching had happened accidentally while the former teacher’s assistant was helping the child with his belt so he could use the bathroom. .
McMillon told the parents that “nothing unusual happened” and that surveillance footage showed the child skipping in front of Eichorn and then rejoining a game.
However, neither Alexander nor McMillon reported the claim, as required under Texas law.
They were both arrested in July but were released after posting bonds totaling $8,000.