Arizona teacher accused of sex crimes against students seen smirking in court

An Arizona teacher was seen grinning in court while facing charges for several child sex crimes, including allegedly filming himself having sex with students on campus.

Eric Curtis Chapman, 43, a teacher and baseball coach at Cortez High School in Phoenix, was arrested Wednesday after a tip first led detectives to find nude photographs he allegedly sent to minors.

The teacher then allegedly admitted several sexual interactions with students — including filming himself with some in several areas of the school’s campus, according to court documents obtained by Fox10.

The teacher was spotted with a wide grin during a virtual court appearance before a judge on Thursday, video obtained by the outlet showed.

Chapman allegedly admitted to sexual interactions with two current students — both minors — as well as a former student who is now an adult, the documents said.

“What’s concerning to the state is when officers interviewed the suspect, he admitted to sexual acts happening as recently as last week,” prosecutor Ashley Stetson said during his hearing, the outlet reported.

Chapman also admitted to downloading hundreds of sexually exploitative videos and photos of minors, the documents alleged.

He faces multiple counts of sexual conduct with a minor and sexual exploitation of a minor and is being held on a $250,000 cash bond, the outlet reported.

“It’s scary in this day and age to send your kid to school, because you have no idea what’s going to happen,” one parent of a child from Cortez High School told the outlet.

The teacher and coach was fired as soon as the allegations came to light, the Glendale Union High School District said in a statement to parents.

“Upon learning of the allegations, school and district administration took immediate action,” the district said.

“The teacher has been relieved of all duties. The Glendale Union High School District takes these matters seriously and works closely with law enforcement to support their investigations and ensure student safety,” the statement said.