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Sources: Teacher recorded child on hidden camera

Posted at 11:10 PM, Sep 29, 2015
and last updated 2015-09-30 01:10:08-04

Former teacher Jeffrey Joseph Falk's first arrest on charges -- including child pornography and computer crimes -- stem from his use of a hidden video camera to spy on a child, sources tell 7NEWS.

Falk, a 51-year-old teacher who retired after almost 20 years at ThunderRidge High School, was originally arrested on Sept. 21. Sources told 7NEWS Investigator Theresa Marchetta that Falk is accused of hiding a camera inside a victim's home and accessing the video remotely.

He was charged in that case with seven felonies and one misdemeanor. The charges include three counts of possessing 20 or more sexually exploitive videos of a child, publishing exploitive videos, stalking, burglary and unauthorized computer access.

Records show Falk was briefly released on bond, but was re-arrested Sunday in a second case and faces other allegations, according to Michelle Yi, spokeswoman for the District Attorney's Office.

The second case again involves allegations of the possession of child pornography, stalking and unauthorized computer access. Formal charges, however, will not be filed until Thursday morning.

Falk is also scheduled to return court to on Oct. 15 for a hearing related to his first case.

Falk remained in Douglas County Jail Tuesday with bond set at $500,000, according to the jail website.

On Monday night, the ThunderRidge High School principal sent a letter to parents. You can read that letter below:

Dear ThunderRidge High School Families,

Student safety is our top priority here at ThunderRidge High School and the Douglas County School District. For that reason, I want to let you know about an investigation regarding one of our former teachers, Jeff Falk.

We have learned that Mr. Falk has been arrested by the Douglas County Sheriff's Office on charges including Sexual Exploitation of a Child, Stalking and Computer Crime. Mr. Falk was a math teacher at TRHS from July 1995 to July 2014.

I can assure you that ThunderRidge High School and Douglas County School District take this matter extremely seriously and we are cooperating fully with law enforcement. Because this is an ongoing criminal investigation, the Sheriff's Office has asked that we not disclose further information on the case.

Please do not hesitate to contact me with any concerns or questions. If you have further information about the investigation, contact the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office or our School Resource Officer.

Chris Tabeling

Principal

ThunderRidge High School

Although Falk left the school district two years ago, his Colorado teaching license is still valid. 

Falk's arrest photo was not released on Monday to protect the ongoing investigation, Sgt. Bronner said. However, 7NEWS found a copy of his photo in a school yearbook.