ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. — A Lancaster County man has been charged with child pornography and unlawful contact with a minor after police say he exchanged sexually explicit photos, videos and messages with a female student at Elizabethtown High School when she was under the age of 18.
Congle Zhu, 19, of Elizabethtown, was also a student at the school when the alleged events occurred in October and November of 2021, according to Elizabethtown Borough Police.
Zhu was arrested Tuesday after an in-depth investigation of allegations regarding his "inappropriate relationship" with the girl, police say.
According to police, the investigation began in October 2021, when officers received a report of the relationship. The investigation determined Zhu and the girl were exchanging the explicit photos, videos and messages.
The girl was under the age of 18 at the time, while Zhu was over the age of 18, police say.
"Once the full scope of the investigation was clear in the beginning of February of this year, the EPD and Elizabethtown Area School District worked together, within the confines of applicable law, to resolve this complaint as quickly as possible," the police department said.
Zhu was arrested without incident Tuesday morning by members of the Elizabethtown Borough and Northwest Regional Police departments, who served arrest and search warrants in relation to the case.
He was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Randall Miller, who released him to house arrest on a $20,000 bond with a number of additional conditions, according to police.
