A Lansdale man has been found guilty of creating and possessing child pornography, nearly three years after concerned students and parents at Mater Dei Catholic School told police they were uncomfortable with him recording their cheerleading practices.
Eric Swenson, 53, formerly of the 100 block of Susquehanna Avenue, was found guilty during a bench trial on Monday of two counts of knowingly recording a child engaging in a prohibited sex act, 100 counts of possession of child pornography and one count of criminal use of a communication facility. An additional nine counts of knowingly recording a child engaging in a prohibited sex act, 100 counts of distributing child pornography and 99 counts of criminal use of a communication facility were withdrawn, according to court records.
Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Henry Hilles deferred sentencing for Swenson, pending a pre-sentencing investigation. Swenson has remained in administrative segregation at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility in lieu of $400,000 cash bail since May 2, 2019, and he will likely receive credit for the more than 31 months of time served whenever he is sentenced.
The investigation began in March 2019 when a group of Mater Dei students told their parents that they were uncomfortable in the presence of another student’s father.
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. 2019, 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 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.
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 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.
The complaint also notes that several peer-to-peer networking programs were discovered on Swenson’s computers, which he allegedly used to acquire and distribute child pornography, according to the complaint.
Though Swenson was formally arraigned at county court in June 2019, his case underwent a series of delays — compounded by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
There were six hearings between Swenson’s formal arraignment and Feb. 13, 2020, at which time a jury trial was scheduled for May 2020. However, the shutdown caused by the pandemic delayed the trial, which was rescheduled as a bench trial multiple times in 2021 before finally being held on Dec. 6.
First time offenses for possession of child pornography carry a maximum sentence of seven years in prison along with a fine of up to $15,000.
See also:
Lansdale Man Facing Hundreds of Child Porn Charges Heading to Jury Trial in May
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
