North Charleroi man jailed in child porn case
CHARLEROI – A North Charleroi man was jailed Friday following a raid on his home that allegedly produced a large collection of child pornography on his computer devices.
District Judge Mark Wilson sent the suspect, John Eckert III, 60, to Washington County jail on $250,000 bond, court records show.
Eckert faces 35 counts of possessing child pornography and one count of illegal use of a computer.
The state attorney general’s office entered the case March 23 after suspicious images linked to his residence were discovered on a peer-to-peer software network, charging documents state.
The discoveries led to a 6:30 a.m. Friday raid on his residence assisted by the Department of Homeland Security and Charleroi Regional police.
When asked if he had downloaded child porn, Eckert allegedly said, “unfortunately, yes.” He then asked to speak with an attorney, court records indicate.