LANCASTER, Pa. — Police have charged a 23-year-old Lancaster man with several felonies after he allegedly attempted to take lewd pictures of a toddler and took videos of himself exposing himself in front of her last year.
Malquan Dee Craig, of the 500 block of High Street, allegedly exposed himself in front of and took several lewd pictures of the 3-year-old victim in May 2021, according to a criminal complaint filed by Lancaster Police.
He also allegedly took videos of himself in front of the girl while she slept or played with toys, police say.
He is charged with felony counts of attempted photographing of a computer sex act (two counts), unlawful contact with a minor, endangering the welfare of children, corruption of minors and criminal use of a communication facility.
He's also charged with misdemeanor counts of open lewdness and indecent exposure, according to the criminal complaint affidavit.
Police began investigating Craig in April after the mother of the now 4-year-old victim reported that she was shown videos of Craig in front of her daughter and photos of Craig attempting to move the victim's clothing to take illicit pictures of her.
The photos and videos were shown to her on a social media app, the victim's mother reported.
The woman who provided the photos and videos to the victim's mother was in a relationship with Craig, who has been in York County Prison since January, according to the criminal complaint. The woman told police she found the illicit images while going through Craig's Apple iPhone 7, believing he had been cheating on her.
Police later interviewed the woman, who provided Craig's iPhone to investigators and collaborated the report from the victim's mother.
After receiving a search warrant to review the images on Craig's phone, police determined that he took numerous images of the victim on May 30, 2021, in the area in and around the 600 block of East Orange St.
While the victim slept in the back seat of a car, police say, Craig pulled at the neck of her shirt to take photos of her and moved the waist of her pants to take pictures.
In another instance, police say, Craig took pictures and videos of himself while the girl played in and around the 600 block of East Orange St. and in an apartment on the 200 block of East Clay Street.
In the latter instance, Craig took the videos while the victim's mother was in the shower, police say.
Police interviewed Craig last month, and he allegedly admitted to taking the pictures and videos on his phone, according to the complaint.
Craig is now in Lancaster County Prison, awaiting arraignment on the charges after failing to post $75,000 bail.
