(Harlan, Iowa) – A former middle school teacher with the Harlan Community School District faces charges of sexual exploitation of a minor. According to KETV in Omaha, 31-year-old  Eric Croghan was released on bond in Shelby County, according to court documents.

In March, Croghan was placed on leave amid an investigation alleging he communicated with an undercover agent online, requesting nude photos of a child. According to court documents, Croghan allegedly distributed an image depicting child pornography to an undercover FBI agent and admitted that, while using Kik, received images depicting child pornography more than 100 times and sent images depicting child pornography less than 100 times.

Croghan also allegedly told the agent that he slept with three female students between 14 and 16 years old, according to court documents. FBI agents tracked the IP address, phone information, social media and property information for the username to Croghan. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation’s cybercrime unit was alerted and, in February, served a warrant on Croghan for all digital and electronic devices.

According to court documents, Croghan was interviewed on the same day as the search warrant and he admitted to using Kik, as well as sending and receiving images depicting child pornography. In March, the district put him on leave, calling the allegations troubling, and accepted his resignation