A former Cortez High School teacher and coach has pleaded guilty to child sex crimes after admitting he filmed sexual encounters with students on campus and kept a stash of abuse images on his devices. Eric Chapman, 44, entered the plea according to court documents, and he is expected to spend at least the next 20 years in prison if a judge signs off on the agreement.
A Tip Line Report Launches the Investigation
Chapman taught history and film and television courses at Cortez for 15 years before he was removed from his position, according to Phoenix New Times. The case against him began in April 2025, when the Arizona Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, per the seed reporting from ABC15 Arizona. Phoenix police arrested Chapman on April 16, 2025, the same outlet notes.
During police questioning, Chapman admitted to sexual interactions involving two current students and one former student, according to ABC15's reporting. Court documents further allege Chapman filmed sexual interactions in several areas of Cortez High School's campus. Phoenix New Times reported separately, citing a police report, that Chapman admitted to sexual encounters with at least three students — two at Cortez and one at Washington High School — and that he filmed several of those encounters.
Hundreds of Abuse Files, Some Depicting Young Children
Beyond the campus encounters, Chapman admitted to downloading and preserving several hundred images and videos depicting the sexual exploitation of minors, per court documents cited in the seed report. Phoenix New Times reported that Chapman admitted to possessing more than 100 files of child sexual abuse material, some of which depicted boys as young as 7.
A grand jury indicted Chapman on 20 counts tied to sexual conduct with a minor and sexual exploitation of a minor. Under the plea agreement reached in September, Chapman pleaded guilty to four counts — attempted sexual conduct with a minor, sexual exploitation of a minor, and two counts of attempted sexual exploitation of a minor — according to plea agreement documents referenced in the ABC15 report.
Sentencing Terms and District Response
Per the plea agreement documents, Chapman could face up to a couple of decades in prison and would be placed on lifetime supervised probation. The agreement tracks with earlier reporting from azcentral.com, which reported that Chapman will likely spend at least the next 20 years in prison if a judge agrees to the terms.
Glendale Union High School District officials said they took immediate action and relieved Chapman of all duties after his arrest, according to the same Phoenix New Times account.
