Owen J. Roberts Teacher Filmed Students In Locker Room, State Police Say

SOUTH COVENTRY TOWNSHIP, PA — A former teacher at Owen J. Roberts High School secretly recorded boys in the high school room, Pennsylvania State Police said this week.

Samuel Elliot Fischer, 34, of Erie, was charged with sexual abuse of children, invasion of privacy, and related counts.

The incidents were first reported back on Jan. 23, 2023, sparking an investigation, police said.

Fischer was employed as a student teacher at the time. He had only been working at the school for a few days when the incidents were first reported, and he was fired immediately, according to school officials.

Police said he filmed boys while they showered and changed. 6ABC reported that a student saw his phone recording while it was sticking out of the back of his pocket.

Authorities later uncovered that Fischer had similarly filmed students at his past school posting, Pine Richland School District in Allegheny County, from 2014 to 2019, state police said.

Those incidents occurred in the bathroom of both the middle school and the high school, according to authorities.

This was not uncovered until after the investigation began in 2023, and Owen J. Roberts said they had no idea of the incidents when Fischer first arrived at the school.

A preliminary hearing for Fischer is forthcoming.