Sheffer has been in custody since Friday, when he surrendered to police.
Sheffer is charged with possession and/or creation of child pornography after prosecutors said Libertyville police found photographs altered by artificial intelligence of girls ages 12 to 14 on his phone. Prosecutors said the girls are students at Highland Middle School, where Sheffer taught social studies and has been employed by the district for 18 years.
"Any time somebody betrays the community in that way, it can have a very deep impact. We know that people are in pain today," said Eric Rinehart of the Lake County State's Attorney's Office.
In court, prosecutors said Sheffer, "Used his own child as an excuse to take secret pictures of children."
They alleged he claimed he needed to keep his phone with him in class to monitor his son's diabetes.
A letter from the school district states that on June 3 several students reported Sheffer to school leaders regarding "inappropriate photos/videos allegedly taken by Mr. Sheffer that afternoon in his classroom."
Sheffer was placed on administrative leave and reported to police the same day. He was arrested and charged Friday following a month-long investigation. Prosecutors said the investigation found digitally altered photographs of his current students taken between April and June, as well as photographs they believe are of former students dating back to the 2018-2019 school year.
"AI was used to create those images. And I think that's the real concern today is how easy it is for AI to use these images. When these programs are used, to use AI, somebody else then possesses the images, or the images are then out there," Rinehart said.
Both in court and in the school district's letter to families, officials noted that as the police investigation continues, additional victims beyond those detailed in the existing charges may yet be identified.