An East Pennsboro Middle School teacher has been suspended without pay after he was arrested Monday on child pornography charges, according to a statement issued by East Pennsboro Area School District.
Craig Cohen, 29, of Summerdale, was arrested after the state attorney general’s office and East Pennsboro Township police served a search warrant at his home on Monday morning.
Authorities said they found files on computer equipment seized from Cohen’s home that are believed to depict children, including preteens, engaging in sex acts. He has been charged with four counts of dissemination of child pornography, one count of possession of child pornography and one count of criminal use of a communication facility.
Cohen had been employed by the school district since 2008. He is a 8th grade science teacher at the middle school.
Cohen was taken to the Cumberland County Prison in lieu of $100,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 3, 2014 at 9 a.m.
The East Pennsboro Area School District issued the following statement on Tuesday about the incident:
“There was an incident on Monday, February 24, 2014, involving Mr. Craig Cohen, a middle school 8th grade science teacher, and the attorney general’s office. The District was approached by the attorney general’s office on Monday morning and immediately took the appropriate actions. The District had no knowledge of any investigation prior to the arrest being made on Monday morning. We are cooperating fully with the investigation.
The District released information about the incident as soon as the arraignment occurred on Monday afternoon. As a school district, we are very limited with information that we are legally allowed to disclose to the community. Please understand that we will keep you updated with any pertinent information we are able to disclose.
We ask that parents speak to their children about this incident as they feel necessary. School counselors will be available for parents to reach out to about concerns for their children, or for children to speak to while at school.
Middle school and high school teachers will be reassuring students that they are safe in our buildings. If students show signs of struggling with this incident, they will be encouraged to reach out to a school counselor.
Mr. Cohen has been employed by East Pennsboro Area School District since 2008. At this time, Mr. Cohen is on leave without pay.”