A tip to the state Attorney General’s child predator unit from Twitter resulted in the arrest Thursday of a Belle Vernon man on child pornography charges.
Benjamin D. Powell, 37, was arraigned on three counts of possessing child pornography and one count of criminal use of a communication facility filed by agents with the state attorney general’s office before Rostraver District Judge Charles Christner.
Christner ordered Powell held in the county prison after he failed to post $50,000 bond.
According to court documents, Twitter recently notified the Center for Exploited and Missing Children that three images depicting sexual acts involving girls believed to be between the ages of 7 to 10 years old had been uploaded to a social media account in the Pittsburgh area.
Authorities obtained a search warrant to obtain information on the owner of the internet address . On Thursday, state agents, assisted by Rostraver Police, served a search warrant at Powell’s mobile home on Edinborough Drive.
Agent Lorraine Fascetti said in court documents that Powell answered the door and was taken into custody.
Fascetti reported Powell was interviewed at the township police station, where he admitted downloading the three images. She said Powell disclosed to investigators that he had been viewing child pornography “for about one year.”
“(Powell) said he was ashamed and deleted the images,” Fascetti wrote in court papers.
Online court dockets indicate that Powell, who also has recently lived in California, Pa., has no prior criminal record.
A preliminary hearing is Oct. 26 before Christner.
