Watch CBS News

$100,000 Bail For Newton Teacher Charged In Child Porn Investigation

WEST ROXBURY (CBS) – A Newton second grade teacher was ordered held on $100,000 bail Wednesday after his arrest on child pornography charges.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Carl Stevens reports

Podcast

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

Police say they found hundreds of images of child pornography on his computers, including a video of a man sexually manipulating a sleeping 12-year-old girl.

WBZ-TV's Beth Germano reports

Investigators also say they discovered multiple pairs of young girls' underwear, which Ettlinger allegedly took from bathrooms, pools, and changing rooms.

Ettlinger was arraigned Wednesday morning in West Roxbury District Court on charges of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 and posing a child in the nude.

That child, according to prosecutor David Deakin, was the 12-year-old daughter of a family friend.  The girl's parents identified her.

Deakin said Ettlinger admitted he was the man who made the video.

"The parents also identified the room where the video had been made, the room where the video was recorded, as the girl's room in their home," Deakin said in court.

Ettlinger was an occasional babysitter for the child in the past.

The Department of Homeland Security first traced him through the Internet, Deakin said, as part of a child exploitation enterprise.

Ettinger allegedly uploaded graphic videos of minors engaged in sex acts to a website called Dreamboard.

"The website required posters to post images of child pornography, submit them to an anonymous administrator, who then, based on the images, would allow posters access to the website," Deakin told the court, adding that Ettlinger had VIP status on the site.

Prosecutors say a federal indictment could be handed down soon.

Ettlinger stood in court Wednesday with his head in his hands.  The judge ordered him to wear a GPS monitoring device and have no contact with children if he posts bail.

He was arraigned Tuesday after his arrest on charges of possessing child pornography and held on $10,000 bail.

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

"I couldn't sleep last night thinking about it, it was too much," says parent Ada Serrata. "My son is only eight years old, it's too hard to explain."

Ettlinger has been put on paid administrative leave.

"It was a shock, I'm still not quite sure how to explain it to a kindergartner or whether to say anything to him," says parent Casey Hernandez.

Ettlinger's parents were in court Wednesday, but had no comment for reporters.

Superintendent David Fleishman said, "All teachers at Underwood used a script to talk to children. In today's 24 hour news environment many of them will know and have questions. Our first priority is the safety of the children."

The superintendent met with teachers at the school Wednesday, and plans to have a meeting with parents on Thursday night.

WBZ-TV's Beth Germano contributed to this report.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.