A Levittown man was arrested after a cross-country child pornography investigation.
John Stewart, 38, who resides in the Middletown section of Levittown, was charged with a number of felonies, including possession explicit photography of a knowing child, child pornography, unlawful contact with minors and criminal use of a communications facility. He is also being charged with misdemeanor corruption of minors.
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Authorities in Oregon launched an investigation into contact Stewart allegedly had with a 13-year-old girl. The girl was from Springfield, Oregon, according to a criminal complaint.
During the investigation that was eventually turned over to Pennsylvania State Police, investigators were able to trace Stewart to Middletown.
The court documents allege that Stewart initiated contact with the girl after she used an application “Younow” to conduct a live broadcast of herself. Using the Kik application, Stewart reportedly began contact with her.
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The two began texting, and throughout their correspondence, Stewart convinced the victim to send a few explicit images to him. During their correspondence, Stewart told the victim he was only 16, police said.
Stewart tried to get the victim to engage in explicit acts with both her dog and her younger brother, the probable cause affidavit states.
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A June 2016 forensic preview examination revealed videos of young girls engaging in explicit acts, as well as the applications on his phone that he used to communicate with his victims. A search warrant on the computer found a number of sexually explicit images featuring underage females, the court papers state.
Stewart’s bail was set at 10 percent of $100,000. A Philadelphia woman posted his bail Friday and he was released.
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.
