A music teacher at Calle Mayor Middle School in Torrance was arrested Friday morning after federal investigators discovered “sexually explicit images of minors on digital devices” in his Long Beach home, authorities said.

Eric James Mitchell, 36, was taken into custody when he left the school campus about 10:50 a.m. He was held on suspicion of possession of child pornography, said Virginia Kice, a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Torrance Unified School District officials immediately placed Mitchell on paid administrative leave, district spokeswoman Tammy Khan said.

Home raided

Early Friday, ICE Homeland Security Investigations agents raided Mitchell’s house in the 3600 block of Los Coyotes Diagonal following a tip that came into a lead investigator at its attache’s office in Brussels, Belgium. Investigators are just beginning to examine digital devices seized from his home, Kice said.

“We don’t have any indication at this time that the suspect victimized any students, but our investigation is still in the early stages,” Kice said. “We are appealing to the public for any information they may have relevant to our ogoing investigation.”

Kice asked anyone with information about Mitchell to contact investigators at 866-DHS-2ICE.

Although Mitchell was home during the early morning raid, he was not arrested at that time and went to work.

It was not immediately clear why he left the campus. Federal investigators asked Torrance police officers to detain him. Jail records show he was booked at the Los Angeles Police Department’s 77th Street station jail and held on $20,000 bail.

Teaching job

Mitchell was hired to work at Calle Mayor in September 2014. His LinkedIn page lists his job as conducting the beginning, intermediate, and advanced wind ensembles, two jazz bands and the choir.

His job included planning and organizing concerts, events and other public appearances by the ensembles.

Mitchell additionally wrote that he has worked since October 2006 as a piano, guitar, bass, and drum teacher, providing one-on-one lessons.

From August 2006 to August 2009, he worked as a pro audio/technology salesman at Sam Ash Music, where he was the department sales leader for the Christmas season 2007.

Mitchell holds a teaching credential in instrumental music from the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at Cal State Long Beach, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in music education.

Shortly after 2 p.m., Calle Mayor Principal David Mosley emailed parents to notify them of Mitchell’s arrest.

“I was notified by law enforcement this morning that music teacher Eric Mitchell was arrested for child pornography,” Mosley said. “I have no further details at this time as this is an active investigation.”

Mosley said he was working with district administrators to make sure music classes continue without interruption.

The case is a part of HSI’s Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since 2003, HSI has arrested more than 12,000 people for crimes against children, including child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and child sex trafficking.

Los Angeles and Torrance police officers assisted federal agents.

Recent teacher arrests

Mitchell is the latest South Bay teacher caught up in a sex-related case. Thomas Snider, who was Torrance High School’s wrestling coach until his arrest in April 2014, is facing charges alleging he molested 26 students, including one former student who testified that Snider raped him on a camping trip 25 years ago.

Michelle Yeh, a former science teacher at San Pedro High School, was sentenced in January to three years, eight months in state prison for engaging in sexual acts with two underage male students who were enticed with gifts, marijuana and outings to the movies and Disneyland.

Timothy Lee Lucas II, who was about to become head coach of Torrance’s West High School girls basketball team, is awaiting trial on charges of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl in her Hermosa Beach home in 2014 while her mother and sister slept in adjacent rooms. Lucas was dating her mother. He was working at Manhattan Beach Middle School at the time of his arrest.