Seneca Valley Middle School teacher arrested for possession of child pornography

FRANKLIN PARK, Pa. — A Seneca Valley Middle School teacher was arrested for possession of child pornography after a website reported to authorities that he was chatting with a minor about sex, according to authorities.

Police said Jonathan Brecht, of Franklin Park, admitted to having deleted photos on his computer and phone, but that he didn't think they were of girls under the age of 18. He did, however, admit to having been in contact with an underage girl online after creating an account in which he identified himself using a woman's name.

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"Brecht stated that his initial intention on Skout.com was to have discussions with other people about 'normal items,'" according to the complaint. "He stated that he realized what he was doing was wrong and he stopped."

Detectives also learned that Brecht had used another website for years to get nude photos, police said. He told them that "there may be some underage naked pictures of children on his hard drive."

While reviewing two hard drives belonging to Brecht, a detective discovered three images of child pornography on one of them, the complaint said.

Officials told Channel 11 News that the investigation into Brecht had been going on for nine months.

Brecht was arrested Feb. 11 and has since posted bond.

"I know that people love their children, and I appreciate that. But it's important to maintain a cool head and judge this from a place of rationality. We have to look at the evidence, not just the allegations," David Sharger, Brecht's attorney, told Channel 11 News Friday.

The Seneca Valley School District released the following statement:

"The Seneca Valley School District has suspended, without pay, a Seneca Valley Middle School teacher. School officials were informed he is facing charges in Allegheny County.<br/><br/>"Mr. Jonathan Brecht, a Seneca Valley Middle School mathematics teacher, has been removed from the classroom pending further investigation. At this time, we have no reason to believe the charges against the suspended employee have any connection with the District.<br/><br/>"Due to the continuing nature of the criminal investigation, the District cannot provide further comment on the matter at this time."

Mike Manko, a spokesman for the Allegheny County District Attorney’s office, also released a statement:

"We were first notified of this defendant's connection to the school district earlier today by the school district. The revelation that this defendant is employed in a setting with young children is a significant concern. We will be continuing our investigation in an effort to determine if this defendant has had any inappropriate or abusive contact with children. We will also be notifying the Butler County District Attorney's Office of these charges so that they can check for any potential concerns in their jurisdiction."

WPXI