Following a tip from law enforcement in Brussels, Belgium, police on Friday arrested a Torrance middle school music teacher for allegedly possessing child pornography.
Eric James Mitchell, 36, surrendered to Torrance police officers, who pulled over his vehicle after he drove off the Calle Mayor Middle School campus. Although many of the region’s schools are closed for spring break, Torrance schools were in session this week.
The lead investigators are agents from the Homeland Security Investigations division of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“We don’t have any indication at this time that this individual victimized any of his students, but that’s certainly a concern whenever we’re investigating a child pornography suspect who has close and ongoing contact with children,” special agent Joseph Macias said in a statement. “We’re still in the very initial stages of reviewing the evidence in this case and we encourage the public to come forward if they have further information.”