A former athletic trainer at Pine-Richland High School faces dozens of counts of child pornography and invasion of privacy after he was accused of illicitly recording students in school facilities.

Samuel Elliot Fischer was charged Jan. 3 in Chester County. Police in the county began an investigation in 2023 into accusations Fischer illegally recorded students in a locker room at Owen J. Roberts High School during a brief period of time. The investigation later found similar allegations stemming from a five-year period at Pine-Richland from 2014-19 when he was an athletic trainer, according to Pittsburgh and Philadelphia media outlets.

According to Pittsburgh media, the investigation uncovered that he recorded students in a Pine-Richland High School locker room and a bathroom in the middle school. A statement to parents Wednesday, Jan. 8, by Pine-Richland said the school district learned of Fischer’s arrest Wednesday and that he was employed through a third-party contractor that was responsible for his clearances.

Police found photos and videos of students taken without their knowledge “in various states of undress” or nudity on Fischer’s personal devices dating back to December 2015, according to Pittsburgh media outlets.

Fischer faces 35 charges in Chester and Allegheny counties, more than half of which are felonies. He was released on $100,000 unsecured bail; a preliminary hearing with District Judge John Hipple is set Jan. 23.