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Newton 2nd Grade Teacher Arrested For Child Pornography

NEWTON (CBS) – A second grade teacher in Newton was arrested Tuesday on child pornography charges.

Thirty-four-year-old David Ettlinger was arrested at his home in Brighton.

Police say they found hundreds of illegal images on his computer drives.  They also say they discovered multiple pairs of young girls' underwear, which Ettlinger allegedly took from bathrooms, pools, and changing rooms.

Police tracked him down being following internet activity. He logged into the online forum for child pornography called "Dreamboard" more than 20 times in 2010.

WBZ-TV's Diana Perez reports

He is also expected to face charges of posing a child in the state of nudity after police seized an illegal video that he allegedly acknowledged making.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Ben Parker reports

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Ettlinger admitted he was the man in the video. He also told police that while the victim is not one of students, she is someone who trusted him.

"He identified the girl as somebody that he babysat for, the daughter of a family friend," said David Deakin, the Assistant District Attorney in court.

Ettlinger was arraigned Tuesday afternoon and held on $10,000 bail. Prosecutors had asked for bail to be set at $250,000.

Ettlinger is a teacher at the Underwood Elementary School and he has taught in the Newton school system for 12 years.

David Ettlinger
David Ettlinger photo from Facebook.

He has been put on paid administrative leave.  A letter was sent home to parents informing them of the charges and explaining the school has convened a crisis team to deal with the situation.

The Superintendent of Newton Public Schools David Fleishman told reporters hours after Ettlinger's arrest that the popular teacher just passed a routine background check in 2010. Now he says his focus is on comforting the teachers and students of the school, "It's so sad and upsetting on so many levels and our concern is the Underwood community and supporting them."

Newton Mayor Setti Warren issued a statement addressing the allegations.

"Our first priority is ensuring the safety of every child. If these allegations prove to be true, the suspect detained should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. The type of behavior that is alleged has absolutely no place in our community," said the mayor's statement.

Ettlinger is facing two state charges of possession of child pornography. On the local level he is facing assault and battery on a child under 14 and posing a child in the state of nudity, stemming from the video found by police. On top of that he is also facing federal charges out of Louisiana for participating in a child exploitation enterprise.

WBZ-TV's Diana Perez contributed to this report.

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