North Beth man arrested on child porn charges was Bentworth bus driver
A North Bethlehem Township man arrested Monday after state police found more than 500 files of child pornography on devices in his home was a substitute school bus driver for the Bentworth School District.
Scott Martin, the district’s superintendent, confirmed Friday that Dennis Shrader, 56, had been employed by the district, though it was for less than a year and he was removed from the substitute list once district officials received word of his arrest.
“He is not performing any duties for the district,” Martin said. “He was never a permanent bus driver.”
Martin added that once officials learned of the charges against Shrader, “we notified all parents, volunteers and members of the community.”
Shrader was arrested Monday after a search warrant was executed at his home at 2652 National Pike. He is being held without bond in the Washington County jail. Police said Shrader admitted to possessing the materials, including images and videos he allegedly said he made himself.
Jason Walsh, Washington County’s district attorney, would not comment on whether the children in the videos or photographs live in the county, citing an ongoing investigation.
Shrader is facing felony charges of child pornography possession, photographing or filming sexual acts and criminal use of a communication facility.
Police were initially informed a little more than a year ago by the software company Synchronoss that someone had uploaded child pornography to their cloud-based account, and police were able to trace it to a phone number used by Shrader. Synchronoss made additional complaints over the summer.
A preliminary hearing for Shrader is set for Wednesday at 9 a.m.