A former Phoenix high school teacher facing multiple counts of child sex crime charges took a plea deal that would save him from spending scores of years in prison.
Eric Chapman, 44, will likely spend at least the next 20 years in prison if a judge agrees to the terms at a future sentencing hearing.
He pled guilty to one felony count of attempted sexual conduct with a minor, one count of sexual exploitation of a minor and two counts of attempted sexual exploitation of a minor, for a total of four felony counts, stemming from an April 2025 arrest.
Chapmanfaced 20 felony counts before accepting the plea deal at a Sept. 30 hearing.
Chapman filmed sex with students and downloaded child porn
In postarrest interviews, Chapman told police he met three boys through adult dating apps and that he recognized them
as his students. They were underage when they engaged in the sex acts with him, court documents said.
The interactions happened with two current students at the time and one former student, according to court documents.
It happened on the school campus, in his classrooms, his coach locker room and inside his personal vehicle near their Phoenix homes, he told police, court records showed. Documents added that Chapman also sent pictures and videos of himself masturbating.
Chapman downloaded several hundred pictures and videos of child sexual abuse through the dark web, documents said.
He previously taught and coached at Cortez High School in the Glendale Union High School District. The district announced shortly after his arrest that he was “relieved of all duties.”
Plea deal avoids decades of prison
Chapman pled guilty to four separate felony counts during his change of plea hearing in Maricopa County Superior Court.
In exchange, Maricopa County prosecutors will dismiss 16 felony charges he was previously facing, according to the plea deal.
He could receive between 20 and 24 years for sexual exploitation of a minor, a class 2 felony, and would be placed on lifetime probation for the three other counts, including one for attempted sexual conduct with a minor and two counts of attempted sexual exploitation of a minor, pending a judge’s approval.
Chapman could have faced more than 60 years for the four felony counts without the plea deal.
A Maricopa County Superior Court judge scheduled a sentencing hearing for Oct. 28.
Republic reporter Perry Vandell contributed to this story.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Former Cortez High School teacher accepts plea deal in child sex crime
