A Lansdale man is facing dozens of felony child pornography charges in connection with an investigation that began last week with concerned parents at Mater Dei Catholic School.
Eric Swenson, 50, of the 100 block of Susquehanna Avenue, has been charged with 35 counts of possession of child pornography and 35 counts of criminal use of a communication facility as a result of the investigation.
According to the criminal complaint, members of the Lansdale Borough Police Department were dispatched to Mater Dei Catholic School, located along the 400 block of East Main Street, on March 26 at 1:42 p.m. for a report of students feeling uncomfortable in the presence of another student’s father—later identified as Swenson. Several students and parents informed police that Swenson allegedly had been observed filming students at cheerleading practice, even when his own daughter was not participating. Parents also stated that their children were fearful of Swenson, and did not want to attend events if he was present, according to the report.
Police then went to Swenson’s residence to speak with him, the report states.
Upon arrival, Swenson allegedly stated that he does record the cheerleading practices, but only to educate his daughter about the moves and added that he had no “nefarious intent,” according to the criminal complaint. Upon further questioning about his phone, Swenson allegedly revealed a black and white image of a nude minor from a gallery on his phone, referring to it as “artistic” and saying it reminded him of a girl that used to live there, the report states.
As Swenson continued to swipe through his photo gallery, he stated that he had one “private photo” that he wanted to delete, according to the report. When police asked about the photo, Swenson stated it was a picture of “Grace,” which depicted a minor in lingerie on her hands and knees, the report states. Swenson then gave consent to police to search his phone, which lead to the discovery of a total of 35 images that were deemed child pornography.
Swenson was arraigned in front of Magisterial District Judge Scott Palladino, who set his bail at $100,000 cash. He was then remanded to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility after failing to post bail.
His next scheduled court appearance is a preliminary hearing in front of Magisterial District Judge Ed Levine on April 16 at 9:45 a.m.
(Editor's note: All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. Should the defendant choose to issue a public statement, or is later found not guilty or has the charges dropped, we will update this article accordingly.)
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