Police traced illicit images to defendant’s home computer in Phoenixville
By Kathleen Brady Shea, Managing Editor, The Times
Kenneth Ford Hamilton Jr. is accused of possessing and distributing child pornography, state police said.
A 58-year-old special education teacher from Phoenixville Middle School faces charges for possessing and distributing child pornography, said Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan.
According to the criminal complaint, the Pennsylvania State Police were conducting an undercover investigation into the internet sharing of child pornography when they downloaded files containing multiple illicit images and videos that were then traced to the IP address of Kenneth Ford Hamilton Jr.
On Nov. 27, troopers executed a search warrant on Hamilton’s Phoenixville home; they seized a desktop computer, hard disk drive, two thumb drives and other electronic storage devices and found explicit, sexual images of male and female children ranging in age from 5 to 12, the complaint said. During an interview with investigators, Hamilton admitted accessing the child pornography, the complaint said, adding that “it was his habit to delete his pornography after viewing it.”
“Viewing child pornography often is one of the early steps along the path to sexually abusing children,” said Hogan in a news release. “Gaining regular access to kids is a second step. A teacher who is accessing child pornography is a recipe for disaster. The Pennsylvania State Police did an outstanding job neutralizing this threat to our children.”
Hamilton was arrested on Sunday, Dec. 1, and charged with 13 total felony counts, including the possession and dissemination of child pornography, the release said. He was taken to Chester County Prison after failing to post $250,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Dec. 5, and the case will be prosecuted by the Chester County District Attorney’s Office Child Abuse Unit, the release said.
“The state police works closely with the Chester County District Attorney’s Office to ensure the arrest and successful prosecution of child pornography offenders,” said Pennsylvania State Police Captain William White in the release. “Both agencies have been committed to the protection of children and will continue our vigilant fight against child pornography.”
Chester County First Assistant District Attorney Michael G. Noone said that “a condition of any eventual sentence will be no contact with children.”
