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Goodyear teacher accused of sexual exploitation
The Goodyear community is unsettled after a charter school teacher in the area was arrested for child sexual exploitation. FOX 10's Taylor Wirtz reports.
PHOENIX - Tuesday, Aug. 5 was student orientation at Great Hearts Trivium Preparatory Academy. It was also the day Goodyear Police say they arrested 39-year-old teacher Samuel Cooper on three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.
The backstory:
Police say the investigation started with a cyber tip submitted to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) by the online forum Reddit in 2024.
Court documents claim an account linked to Cooper had posted an image containing child exploitation material.
"For the company reports that we receive, each company has their own detection methods that may constitute them reporting into the CyberTipline. So once we receive those reports, we're doing a little bit of analysis there and then making them available to the most appropriate law enforcement agency for possible investigation," said Hayley Elizondo, CyberTipline public reporting team program manager for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Dig deeper:
Cooper, who is Ivy League-educated, reportedly told detectives he interacted with the images during psychotic episodes stemming from bipolar disorder. Investigators also found a journal where Cooper described sexual fantasies, some about former underage students, though he denied any physical misconduct.
Local perspective:
As Great Hearts families prepare for the first day of school on Thursday, the Goodyear community remains unsettled over the arrest.
"You send your kids so they can learn and get an education and also, believe that they're safe. And then you hear stuff like this, and then you kind of get scared and don't want to send your kids to school anymore, you know," Erica Nunez said.
"I think pornography is filthy and disgusting. And anything related to children is awful," said one parent.
"Obviously there's a social breakdown, as far as society goes," said another parent.
School Issues Statement:
Great Hearts Academies issued the following statement on the matter:
"Yesterday we were notified of the arrest and allegations involving a teacher, and we are fully cooperating with the Goodyear Police Department as they conduct their investigation. In accordance with our policy and Arizona law, the individual’s employment has been terminated. As this is an active investigation, we ask that any further questions be directed to local law enforcement."
What's next:
Goodyear police say more charges could follow as the investigation continues.
Meanwhile, Cooper's next court date is scheduled for Aug. 10.
The Source: Information in this report was gathered from Goodyear Police, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, court documents, and Great Hearts Academies.