A Lansdale man who was arrested in March 2019 and subsequently charged with hundreds of counts of possession and dissemination of child pornography will soon have his day in court.
According to court records, 51-year-old Eric Swenson, of the 100 block of Susquehanna Avenue, has a jury trial scheduled for 9 a.m. on May 4 and May 5 at the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas in Norristown. Swenson has been charged with 100 felony counts of possession of child pornography, 100 felony counts of dissemination of child pornography, 100 felony counts of criminal use of a communication facility and 11 felony counts of sexual abuse of children, stemming from an investigation by the Lansdale Borough Police Department in early 2019.
Police said the investigation into Swenson began after concerned parents at Mater Dei Catholic School expressed concern with Swenson allegedly filming girls at cheerleading practice. Swenson, whose daughter goes to the school, initially told police that he was only recording the practices to help his daughter with her cheerleading moves, but upon further questioning, he was found to have child pornography on his phone, according to the original criminal complaint. [Read more about the original investigation here.]
Swenson was arrested at his home on March 28, 2019, and charged with 35 counts of possession of child pornography and 35 counts of criminal use of a communication facility. After Swenson was taken into custody, police returned to his home to serve a search warrant. Police, who had already taken Swenson’s phone into evidence, also retrieved two computer towers from his apartment, which was later vacated due to “unsanitary conditions and imminent danger.” [Read more about the apartment here.]
On April 1, 2019, Swenson’s phone was forensically downloaded and investigators uncovered 371 additional photos of child pornography, according to the criminal complaint. The following day, both computer towers were submitted to the Philadelphia Regional Computer Forensic Laboratory for analysis, which uncovered more than 6,000 known images of child pornography, as confirmed by the FBI database of child pornography images, the report states.
Swenson, who was already remanded to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility after failing to post $100,000 cash bail on the original charges, was arraigned on the new charges on May 2, 2019 by Magisterial District Judge Ed Levine, who set additional bail at $400,000 cash.
Swenson currently remains at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility in lieu of bail. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Alexandria Macmaster-Ho, and Swenson is being represented by Craig Hosay from the public defender’s office.
(Editor’s note: All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records and the affidavit of probable cause, and reflects the point of view of the police. 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.)
See also:
Investigation Uncovers 6,300 Child Porn Images On Lansdale Man’s Computer: Police
Lansdale Man Arrested On Dozens Of Child Pornography Charges
Home Of Child Porn Suspect Vacated For Unsanitary Conditions, Deemed Imminent Danger
Former Sheriff’s Deputy Sentenced to Prison on Child Porn Charges
Montgomery Township Suicide Victim Was Awaiting Arraignment On Child Pornography Charges
