The Berks County District Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday that seven people have been arrested in a county wide child pornography round-up.
Police said during the past nine months, detectives from the Berks County District Attorney’s Child Abuse Unit conducted a county wide child pornography investigation in conjunction with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
Detectives found that seven people had possessed or disseminated child porn via the internet. Police obtained and served search warrants on their homes where officers seized cell phones, electronic equipment and computers that were examined by a forensic analyst. The devices were found to have thousands of child pornographic images.
Those charged were Joseph Peter McCormick, 75, of Bechtelsville; Shaun Scott Burkholder, 45, of Exeter; Cody Ian Staub, 28, of Blandon; Jody John Smith, 43, of Wyomissing; Timothy Stevenson, 26, of Hereford; Lee R. Barlet, 29, of Blandon; and Bradley Michael Coleman, 31, of Strausstown.
All the defendants have been transported to Berks County Sheriff’s Central Processing Center for arraignment.