A warrant was issued yesterday for the arrest of a former high school band director previously employed in Greene County. He’s accused of felony dissemination of matter harmful to minors. According to court records, he no longer resides in this area.

Cory Alan Chapman, 33, of West Lafayette, is accused of sending inappropriate messages and material to one of his former students.

Indiana State Police Trooper Caleb Garvin has been investigating this case since mid-November of 2018.

According to Trooper Garvin, Chapman taught band class at Eastern-Greene Schools from June 8, 2015, through July 9, 2018, and also served as the band director for the school’s marching band and pep band during the same time period.

The alleged victim, the recipient of unwanted communications, was a student of Chapman’s during the time Chapman was employed by the school.

Trooper Garvin started his investigation when he was off-duty but working as a School Resource Officer for Eastern-Greene and then-Superintendent Ted Baechtold notified him of a situation involving the former teacher and a current student.

During the investigation, the alleged victim was interviewed as was another student. Trooper Garvin obtained evidence from the victim’s phone and a probable cause affidavit prepared by Garvin includes a long list of inappropriate sexual text messages as well as graphic “memes” Garvin described as obscene. He wrote that he had probable cause to believe the memes lacked any serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value and as such were matter that would be deemed harmful to a minor.

After Chapman was no longer employed at Eastern-Greene, at some point he was employed at West Lafayette Community School Corporation.

On November 16, 2018, search warrants were served at West Lafayette High School and at Chapman’s residence on Falcon Court in West Lafayette. An unknown number of items of evidence was seized.

Today, in a phone call to the Superintendent’s Office of West Lafayette High School, an administrative assistant to the superintendent confirmed that Chapman is no longer employed at the school. He resigned at some point during the last school year.

When Chapman is taken into custody and appears in Greene Superior Court, he will be charged with dissemination of matter harmful to minors, a Level 6 felony.