A Middletown Township man sought on local charges of indecent assault of a person less than 13 years old, sexual assault, child pornography, and criminal use of a communication facility was arrested late Friday morning in Tennessee.
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Thomas Palaio, 19, was apprehended around 11:15 a.m. in Franklin, Tennessee, which sits just outside of Nashville, police told LevittownNow.com.
Palaio was wanted by Middletown Township police on the charges and the U.S. Marshal Service, which was assisting in finding and arresting him.
Middletown Township Detective Lt. Steve Forman said Palaio was being held in the Williams County, Tennessee, jail as a fugitive from justice. Proceedings to extricate him back to Bucks County will begin.
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Authorities announced they were looking for Palaio this week after he skipped town.
Detectives from Middletown Township began looking at Palaio after a December 2021 tip relating to child porn allegedly being transmitted and received on various social media platforms. More tips came in and they were linked to a residence in the township’s Parkland section, police said.
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On the morning of June 20, the South Central Emergency Response team assisted detectives in executing a search warrant on Palaio’s home.
Several pieces of evidence, including electronic devices, were seized and had to be examined, police said.
Palaio spoke with detectives and “acknowledged his involvement,” police said.
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A person came forward to police as the investigation went on and accused Palaio of assault, police said.
Palaio’s father’s, John, 50, was arrested earlier this week after a days-long search. He was captured in Tullytown Borough by the U.S. Marshal Service and Middletown Township police.
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John Palaio, who is a felon from past crimes, is in the Bucks County Correctional Facility as of Friday on charges on possession of a firearm while prohibited, criminal use of a communication facility, makes/repairs/sells offensive weapons, and multiple counts of drug-related offenses, police said.
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.
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