The booking image for 28-year-old Patrick Carpenter, of Lansdale, following his August 2019 arrest on felony burglary and criminal trespassing charges
A Lansdale man has entered into a plea agreement with prosecutors to resolve a pair of separate cases involving criminal trespassing, assault, and possession of child pornography.
Patrick Carpenter, 28, was charged in August 2019 with felony counts of burglary and criminal trespass, misdemeanor counts of simple assault, possessing an instrument of crime, prowling at night, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, and summary counts of criminal mischief and harassment, following an incident at a home along the 700 block of West Third Street in Lansdale.
Then, while on bail, he was again arrested in April 2021 and charged with 50 felony counts of possession of child pornography and 50 counts of criminal use of a communication facility, in connection with an investigation by the Lansdale Borough Police Department.
Court records show that on Tuesday, Carpenter pleaded guilty to felony criminal trespassing and misdemeanor simple assault in connection with the August 2019 arrest, as well as two felony counts of possession of child pornography stemming from the April 2021 arrest. All other charges will be withdrawn at sentencing, which was deferred pending a pre-sentencing investigation, according to court records.
Details from August 2019 Arrest
According to the criminal complaint, Lansdale Police responded to the 700 block of West Third Street at 12:29 a.m. on Aug. 1, 2019, for a report of a burglary in progress. The caller advised police that a man had entered her home through a window and proceeded to attack her son in the kitchen.
Upon arrival, police encountered the suspect — identified as then-25-year-old Patrick Carpenter — subdued on the floor by the homeowner’s son. Carpenter was then immediately taken into custody.
The son told police that he had just gotten home and was in his kitchen when he suddenly saw Carpenter standing in the room. The report states that, without speaking, Carpenter attacked him, punching him at least eight time with a closed fist in the head, and causing wounds to the son’s cheeks, lip, elbow and chest. Carpenter then attempted to flee through a window, but the son was able to wrestle him to the floor and subdue him until police arrived, according to the report.
During a search of Carpenter, the report states that police found marijuana, drug paraphernalia, a pair of scissors and a small purple flashlight. Additional investigation revealed that Carpenter had cut through a side screen to gain entry to the home, according to the report.
Details from April 2021 Arrest
Between Nov. 21, 2020, and Dec. 28, 2020, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received four cyber-tips from Google and Yahoo regarding nearly 300 images and videos of suspected child pornography being uploaded from local email accounts, investigators said. The files reportedly depicted underage boys and girls — including some who were prepubescent — both posing and being sexually abused by adults, according to the criminal complaint.
All of the cyber-tips were eventually traced to Carpenter’s home along the 100 block of East Second Street, the report states. On March 11, 2021, a search warrant was executed on his home, with police recovering a pair of digital tablets, according to the complaint.
On one tablet, police said they discovered a variety of pornography, but none that would be classified as child pornography, the report states. However, on the second tablet, investigators discovered 45 videos and 129 images of child pornography, the report states.
Additionally, the email address registered to the second tablet was tied to a cyber-tip from Facebook dated July 4, 2019, regarding a user account that had uploaded child pornography to the social media site, according to the complaint.
When questioned by police, Carpenter stated that he was unfamiliar with the email accounts and added that he doesn’t use the internet much, according to the complaint.
See also:
Montco Man Sentenced to Jail, Probation After Pleading Guilty to Child Porn Possession
Woman Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Ex-Boyfriend with Broken Bottle, Gets Probation
Souderton Pair Pleads Guilty to Attempted Homicide in West Third Street Shooting in Lansdale
