A former registered sex offender from Towamencin Township is facing new charges after county investigators alleged that he used a variety of social media apps to solicit and share child pornography.
Robert Swider, 49, of the 1100 block of Washington Ave, was charged on Nov. 5 with two felony counts each of criminal solicitation of child pornography, possession of child pornography, dissemination of child pornography and criminal use of a communication facility, following a five-month investigation by the Montgomery County Detective Bureau.
Investigators said they were tipped off in June via seven reports from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children concerning a Google account with numerous digital files stored on it — some of which were suspected child pornography. Of the initial reported images, investigators said most depicted partially clothed girls between the ages of five and 10 years old in sexually suggestive poses, as well as one close up image of a nude female believed to be between 5 and 10 years old.
Additional images from the account, secured via a search warrant served to Google, included images of children in bathing suits and gymnastic uniforms in poses with their legs spread open or exposing their chests, according to the criminal complaint. An additional two sexually explicit images were also recovered of a victim who appears to be between five and 10 years old, the report states.
The Google account was allegedly traced back to Swider, whom investigators said had multiple prior arrests for crimes that were sexual in nature.
Since 1998, court records show that Swider has pleaded guilty to terroristic threats, corruption of minors, sexual communication or contact with a minor, open lewdness and others, sometimes receiving prison sentences and others probation. In one of those previous cases, Swider repeatedly stalked a 12-year-old girl in Lansdale, following her as she walked down the street, police said. Swider would drive his vehicle slowly next to the victim while “flicking” his tongue in a sexual manner, and at one point he held up a photo of a naked woman for the victim to see, according to the complaint.
Swider was required to report as a registered sex offender for a 10-year period from 2005 to 2015, according to reports, however it does not appear that he was still required to report at the time of the most recent investigation.
Investigators executed a search warrant at Swider’s home on Aug. 24, roughly two months after the current investigation began in June 2021. Police said Swider, who was home at the time the warrant was served, was cooperative with investigators, and admitted to using Google Hangouts, WhatsApp and other social media apps to solicit and trade images of child pornography.
The report also states that Swider attempted to offer gift cards to people he was chatting with, in exchange for them photographing children in their custody.
Swider was taken into custody on Nov. 5 and arraigned by District Judge Ed Levine, who set bail at $99,000 cash upon the recommendation of prosecutors.*
Swider was remanded to county jail after failing to post bail, however he was released on Nov. 9 following a bail review from Judge Garrett Page at the county’s Pre-Trial Services unit. Judge Page released Swider on Pre-Trial Monitoring Level Three-Plus, which includes electronic monitoring and weekly reporting to Pre-Trial Services. Under the monitoring, Swider is prohibited from accessing any internet, social media, or communication apps, and he is also prohibited from contact with anyone under the age of 18.
His next court appearance is a preliminary hearing on Nov. 17 at 10 a.m. in front of Judge Levine.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records and the affidavit of probable cause.
(*We often receive questions when bail is set at $99,000, as it appears to be a strange number. However, when bail is set at $100,000 or higher, defendants are placed in administrative segregation at county jail, away from the other inmates. When bail is set at $99,000 or below, defendants are placed in general population.)
See also:
Upper Gwynedd Man Accused of Sexually Abusing 6-Year-old Girl While Babysitting
Woman Facing Felony Retail Theft Charges After Stealing from Wegmans Twice in One Week, Police Say
