A physical education teacher at University of Illinois Laboratory High School was arrested on child pornography charges Friday afternoon.

According to a release from U.S. Attorney John Milhiser’s office, Doug Mynatt, age 56, of Savoy appeared in federal court via video conference on Friday. He waived preliminary and detention hearings, and remains in custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

Mynatt admitted to receiving and distributing images of young girls, some as young as 6 to 9 years old. Thousands more were found on his phone, according to an affidavit by investigator Dwayne Roelfs of the Champaign County Sheriff’s Office.

The affidavit alleges that at least five times in January 2020, Mynatt used Application A, an anonymous instant messaging app that logs IP addresses, to upload and share 15 files containing child pornography.

Application A reported his activity, along with logins from his home address in Savoy and at the University of Illinois, to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. NCMEC referred the information to the Illinois Attorney General’s Office and Champaign County Sheriff’s Office on March 20.

Mynatt also disclosed he had a sexual relationship with two former students when they were over 18 and out of school, Roelfs said.

University of Illinois Laboratory High School, also known as Uni High, is located on the corner of Springfield and Mathews avenues, on the north section of campus.

Mynatt teaches fitness, sports and strength training at the high school, and coaches its track and cross-country teams. If convicted, Mynatt could face up to 20 years in prison.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations, the Champaign County Sheriff’s Office and the Urbana Police Department are conducting the investigation.