Two area men nabbed in pornography sting
Two men from Northampton and Lehigh counties were among five arrested in a child pornography sting by the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General.
They are David Zeigler, 26, 732 Grove St., Catasauqua, Northampton County, and David Kohut, 54, 2329 North First Ave., Whitehall, Lehigh County.The others were Robert Grubb III, 22, 4053 Fox Run Road, Dover, York County; Clark Collins, 48, 45 Franklin St., Susquehanna, Susquehanna County; and Matthew Vaughan, 44, 1039 Elizabeth Road, McMurray, Washington County.Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane announced the arrests Friday.The charges against Ziegler state that agents conducting an undercover investigation successfully downloaded one file that was being made available on a peer-to-peer network. Agents determined that the downloaded file contained approximately 50 images depicting prepubescent children, under the age of 18 engaged in sexually graphic acts and poses.The computer's IP address was determined to serve Ziegler's Northampton County residence. Agents from the Office of Attorney General's Child Predator Section and officers from the North Catasauqua Police Department executed a search of the home and seized a computer, which was previewed and found to contain more than 150 image files of suspected child pornography.Ziegler was arrested on Tuesday, July 22 and charged with 10 counts of possession of child pornography, one count of distribution of child pornography and one count of criminal use of a communication facility. He was released on $40,000, 10 percent bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 1.The case will be prosecuted in Northampton County by Deputy Attorney General Rebecca Elo of the Office of Attorney General's Child Predator Section.According to the criminal complaint, Kohut used a peer-to-peer network in order to make files containing prepubescent children engaged in graphic sexual acts available for download. Agents conducting an undercover investigation successfully downloaded one of those files and identified Kohut's Whitehall residence as the source through the computer's IP address.A search of Kohut's home resulted in the seizure of several computers and computer equipment. Forensic agents found more than 30 videos of apparent child pornography on two of the computers.Kohut was taken into custody by agents from the Office of Attorney General's Child Predator Section on Tuesday, July 22 and charged with 10 counts of possession of child pornography, one count of distribution of child pornography and one count of criminal use of a communication facility.He was held in the Lehigh County Prison in lieu of $500,000, 10 percent bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 29. The case will be prosecuted in Lehigh County, also by Elo.