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 preschool teacher's assistant.
The teenager was allegedly paid $200 by Mark Penfield Eichorn, 27, to create a pornographic video of himself and send it back to him, according to My Texas Daily.
An ensuing investigation also found that a 12-year-old friend of the victim also participated in the 90-second video.
Eichnorn, who worked as a teacher's assistant at St. John's Episcopal School in Abilene, Texas at the time, later allegedly admitted to paying the children through Venmo after connecting with them through Snapchat, the Abilene Reporter News reports.
But when confronted about his interactions with the teenagers, Eichorn is said to have asked, 'Just those two?
Mark Eichorn, 27, was arrested after a parent in Georgia found that he payed his son $200 to produce a pornographic video and send it back to him
He had been working as a teacher's assistant at St. John's Episcopal School in Abilene, Texas (pictured) at the time
The former teacher's aide also admitted to knowing that the children were only about 13 years old when he solicited the video and paid them for it.
He then told authorities he also traded child porn on social media and touched a child inappropriately.
During an ensuing investigation, authorities in Abilene conducted a search warrant of Eichorn's home found nude images of children who appeared to be under the age of 10 on his cellphone.
Eichorn was ultimately arrested on May 9 and was fired from his position at the school, but was soon let out of Taylor County Jail on a $50,000 bond, according to Big Country Homepage.
He was finally indicted by a grand jury last month on charges of possession with intent to promote child pornography and possession of child porn.
Eichorn allegedly admitted to paying the children through Venmo after connecting with them through Snapchat, and told authorities he also traded child porn on social media and touched a child inappropriately
Eichorn pleaded guilty in federal court on Tuesday to charges of production of child pornography.
He faces between 15 to 35 years behind bars, as well as additional federal charges for indecency with a child.
Eichorn is expected to be re-arrested on those federal charges by Homeland Security Investigations and the US Marshals Service, https://betandreas-kazakhstan.org/ and is scheduled to face a federal detention hearing later in the week.
Meanwhile, another teacher and the headmistress of the school are also facing charges for failure to report child abuse.
Another teacher at the school, Kelsey Alexander (left) and the headmistress, Rebecca McMillon (right), are facing charges for failure to report child abuse
Prosecutors say a family from St. John's Episcopal School came forward following Eichorn's arrest and said their son made allegations that Eichorn touched him inappropriately back 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 director, Big Country Homepage reports.
McMillon later told the parents she conducted her own investigation into the claims, and after watching surveillance footage and speaking with Eichorn, she determined the inappropriate touching was accidental while the former teacher's aide was helping the child with his belt so that he could use the bathroom.
McMillon told the parents that 'nothing untoward had happened' and that surveillance footage showed the child skipping in front of Eichorn to rejoin a game afterward.
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.
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The teenager was allegedly paid $200 by Mark Penfield Eichorn, 27, to create a pornographic video of himself and send it back to him, according to My Texas Daily.
An ensuing investigation also found that a 12-year-old friend of the victim also participated in the 90-second video.
Eichnorn, who worked as a teacher's assistant at St. John's Episcopal School in Abilene, Texas at the time, later allegedly admitted to paying the children through Venmo after connecting with them through Snapchat, the Abilene Reporter News reports.
But when confronted about his interactions with the teenagers, Eichorn is said to have asked, 'Just those two?
Mark Eichorn, 27, was arrested after a parent in Georgia found that he payed his son $200 to produce a pornographic video and send it back to him
He had been working as a teacher's assistant at St. John's Episcopal School in Abilene, Texas (pictured) at the time
The former teacher's aide also admitted to knowing that the children were only about 13 years old when he solicited the video and paid them for it.
He then told authorities he also traded child porn on social media and touched a child inappropriately.
During an ensuing investigation, authorities in Abilene conducted a search warrant of Eichorn's home found nude images of children who appeared to be under the age of 10 on his cellphone.
Eichorn was ultimately arrested on May 9 and was fired from his position at the school, but was soon let out of Taylor County Jail on a $50,000 bond, according to Big Country Homepage.
He was finally indicted by a grand jury last month on charges of possession with intent to promote child pornography and possession of child porn.
Eichorn allegedly admitted to paying the children through Venmo after connecting with them through Snapchat, and told authorities he also traded child porn on social media and touched a child inappropriately
Eichorn pleaded guilty in federal court on Tuesday to charges of production of child pornography.
He faces between 15 to 35 years behind bars, as well as additional federal charges for indecency with a child.
Eichorn is expected to be re-arrested on those federal charges by Homeland Security Investigations and the US Marshals Service, https://betandreas-kazakhstan.org/ and is scheduled to face a federal detention hearing later in the week.
Meanwhile, another teacher and the headmistress of the school are also facing charges for failure to report child abuse.
Another teacher at the school, Kelsey Alexander (left) and the headmistress, Rebecca McMillon (right), are facing charges for failure to report child abuse
Prosecutors say a family from St. John's Episcopal School came forward following Eichorn's arrest and said their son made allegations that Eichorn touched him inappropriately back 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 director, Big Country Homepage reports.
McMillon later told the parents she conducted her own investigation into the claims, and after watching surveillance footage and speaking with Eichorn, she determined the inappropriate touching was accidental while the former teacher's aide was helping the child with his belt so that he could use the bathroom.
McMillon told the parents that 'nothing untoward had happened' and that surveillance footage showed the child skipping in front of Eichorn to rejoin a game afterward.
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.
VenmoGeorgiaSnapchat
