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On March 7, 2023, Greenfield Township Police Department filed 75 counts of sexual abuse of children; one count of attempted corruption of minors; and one count of copying obscene material against Claysburg resident Ethan Colpetzer.
These charges developed from a multi-department investigation that included the Claysburg-Kimmel school security officer and members of the Pennsylvania State Police in conjunction with Greenfield Township Police and the Blair County District Attorney’s Office. At the time of the offense, 30-year-old Colpetzer served as a janitor for the Claysburg Elementary School. The investigation began when an 11-year-old student disclosed to her teacher that she had a “secret admirer” who had been leaving her gifts, candies, and notes in her desk. After receiving gifts for approximately one month, the student wrote a note that she left on her desk asking her secret admirer to write his or her name. When she returned to school the following day, she found that her secret admirer had identified himself as “Ethan.”
The student showed the note to her teacher, who immediately became concerned when she did not recognize the name as belonging to a fellow student. Colpetzer admitted to investigating officers that he left the candy, gifts, and notes for the 11- year-old student. Other school staff members reported that, prior to leaving the gifts, Colpetzer had singled out the student to other school workers, asking them for her name which he used to locate her classroom and desk. Further investigation revealed that school staff had observed Colpetzer using his cell phone in a way that appeared to be capturing photos of students in the cafeteria during lunch. When Colpetzer permitted the school resource officer to view his phone, the officer observed a photo taken of an elementary school student zoomed in to target her bending over a cafeteria table.
The officer also observed a photo of what he believed depicted an unrelated, nude prepubescent child. When police executed a search warrant on Colpetzer’s cell phone with the assistance of the Pennsylvania State Police computer forensic unit, they discovered sexual photos of prepubescent children clearly under the age of 18. Colpetzer admitted to police that he saved the images from the internet and that some were provided to him via various web pages.
Colpetzer was charged with both sexual abuse of children as a felony of the second degree (which carries a statutory maximum of 10 years incarceration for each count) as well as a felony of the third degree (which carries a seven-year statutory maximum sentence). He also faces charges of attempted corruption of minors in regard to his behavior toward the 11-year-old student.
His bail was set at $100,000 straight bail.
First Assistant District Attorney Nichole Smith said, “The safety of our community—especially our children—is one of the most important responsibilities we have as prosecutors. As such, the prosecution of those who possess child pornography will always be a priority for the Blair County District Attorney’s Office. 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.”
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