Abington Man Arrested on Child Porn Charges

A 28-year-old Abington man was arrested following a search of his Rothley Avenue residence that allegedly yielded pornographic images and videos of children.

Joseph Andrew Escher, of the 1300 block of Rothley Avenue, was arrested following a search of his residence as part of a Pennsylvania Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce (ICAC) investigation.

During the Feb. 5 search, police said Escher arrived home; he then gave a voluntary, signed statement admitting to downloading child pornography for a few months and putting it on his computer. According to the affidavit of probable cause, Escher said that his age preference for girls online was pre-pubescent and that he masturbated to the images and videos. 

Police seized a digital hard drive; a laptop computer; two unmarked VHS tapes; and two unmarked CDs.

According to police, the Montgomery County Detective Bureau examined the items seized­. Abington Police received the report on March 7.

There were allegedly nine videos and 33 images located on the media. Twenty-five of those images and videos depicted children under the age of 18 engaged in sexual acts and poses, police said.

Escher was charged with sexual abuse of children by disseminating a photo/film of a child in sex acts; and several counts of possessing child pornography.

It does not appear that Escher has a criminal record.

According to court documents, Escher waived his preliminary hearing; formal arraignment is scheduled for May 22.