Former teacher, coach sentenced to 20 years in sex crimes against children case

A former teacher and coach from Cortez High School was sentenced to 20 years in prison and lifetime probation this morning after a accepting a plea deal, according to court documents.

Eric Chapman was arrested in April 2025 after the Arizona Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Accusations against Chapman included him filming sexual interactions in several areas of the school's campus, according to court documents. The sexual interactions, which Chapman admitted to during police questioning, involved two current students and a former student.

Court documents said he also admitted to downloading and preserving several hundred images and videos depicting sexual exploitation of minors.

In May 2025, a grand jury indicted Chapman on a total of 20 charges, including sexual conduct with a minor and sexual exploitation of a minor.

According to a plea deal dated in late September, Chapman pleaded guilty to four counts: one count of attempted sexual conduct with a minor, a count of sexual exploitation of a minor and two counts of attempted sexual exploitation of a minor. Plea agreement documents show he could face up to a couple of decades in prison and would be placed on lifetime supervised probation.

Chapmans sentencing is scheduled for October 28.