MANCHESTER, Pa. — A York County man is facing five felony charges for possessing and disseminating suspected child pornography after an investigation by Newberry Township Police.
Myles Andrew Howell, 21, of Manchester, was charged Thursday with one first-degree felony, three second-degree felonies and one third-degree felony relating to the sexual abuse of children, according to the criminal complaint affidavit filed by investigators.
Police say Howell uploaded at least five video files depicting minor children engaging in sex acts to social media platforms like Instagram and Snapchat.
An electronic device belonging to Howell also was found to contain more than 33 videos and 36 pictures depicting child pornography, police claim.
Police began investigating Howell in November 2022, after receiving a tip from the Internet Crimes Against Children Cyber Tipline that a suspect was viewing and downloading multiple images and videos of children engaged in sex acts.
The tip provided Snapchat and Instagram profile names that were later traced to an email address used by Howell, along with file names of the videos and images he allegedly viewed and shared, police claim in the affidavit.
Investigators traced the IP address that the uploaded files originated from to Howell's Manchester address. Police obtained a search warrant for Howell's home and any electronic devices in his possession, and executed the warrant on Thursday morning.
Howell allegedly admitted to soliciting pornographic images and videos from four juvenile girls on Snapchat, police said in the affidavit.
He has been arraigned on the charges and bail was set at $15,000, according to court records.
