Upper Moreland High School drum instructor charged with sharing child pornography online
Douglas Penglase, of Hatboro, had nearly 800 videos and images stored on a social media account registered to him, according to federal prosecutors.
A drum instructor at Upper Moreland High School has been fired after federal prosecutors say he traded child pornography online.
Douglas Penglase, 37, was charged with distribution of child pornography earlier this week after investigators served a search warrant at his home in Hatboro and found 780 videos and images depicting children being raped and sexually assaulted. The images were on a social media account registered to Penglase, according to the affidavit of probable cause for his arrest.
Penglase acknowledged that the child pornography was his and told investigators that he had similar files on his personal computer, the affidavit said.
His attorney, Jeremy Isard, did not return a request for comment.
The investigation began with a tip from the social media platform Kik that one of its users, later identified as Penglase, had shared child pornography with others on the messaging app.
During one exchange, Penglase said he was looking at the videos before heading to work, the affidavit said.
In a statement, officials at Upper Moreland School District said Penglase was fired after they learned of his arrest.
Penglase had worked at the school since September 2020, and had passed a background check, officials said. They said they had not received any complaints about inappropriate contact with students during his time working for the district.