Federal authorities allege in court papers unsealed Wednesday that a Bristol Township man created and distributed child pornography.
Norman Ridgeway, 26, of Bristol Township’s Croydon section, was charged via indictment Wednesday with production of child pornography, distribution of child pornography and possession of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Zane David Memeger said in a statement.
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In the unsealed indictment, federal authorities say Ridgeway convinced a 2- to 3-year-old child to “engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing visual depictions of such conduct.” The creation and distribution of the child pornography happened between January 2015 and March 24.
On March 25, FBI agents executed a search warrant at Ridgeway’s Croydon home. Several tablets, cell phones and a computer were seized from the residence.
From the indictment:
As FBI agents conducted the search warrant, defendant Norman Ridgeway arrived at the residence, driving a tow truck. Defendant Norman Ridgeway observed law enforcement officers stationed outside of his residence, and then fled from them by driving the tow truck away at a high rate of speed. As he fled from the law enforcement officers, defendant Norman Ridgeway “wiped” his personal cell phone by resetting it to factory settings, in an effort to alter, destroy, and conceal evidence of child pornography and child pornography-related activities that were stored on his personal cell phone.
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The week following the FBI search of Ridgeway’s home, he contacted a person he knew and asked them to delete a memory card that contained child pornography, federal officials said. It was not clear if the card was deleted.
If convicted in federal court, Ridgeway could face a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison, with a maximum possible sentence of 100 years in prison, a possible fine, three years of supervised release and a $700 special assessment.
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The arrest was part of an investigation brought on by Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide law enforcement effort to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. The program is led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and started in 2006.
Along with the FBI, the Bensalem, Bristol Township, Middletown, Warminster and Washington D.C. police departments assisted in the investigation.
Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.
