A Towamencin man with a 30-year history of sex offense convictions in Montgomery County has been sentenced to probation for possession of child pornography.
Court records show 50-year-old Robert Swider pleaded guilty on June 6 to a reduced third-degree felony charge of possession of child pornography, stemming from his November 2021 arrest following an investigation by the Montgomery County Detective Bureau. In exchange for his plea, additional charges of criminal solicitation of child pornography, possession of child pornography, dissemination of child pornography, and criminal use of a communication facility were dismissed, court records show.
Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Steven O’Neill sentenced Swider to five years’ probation on the possession of child pornography charge, along with the stipulations that he have no unsupervised contact with minors, undergo a psycho-sexual evaluation and comply with recommendations, and register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law for the rest of his life.
Investigators said they were tipped off in June 2021 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 5 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 5 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.
Investigators executed a search warrant at Swider’s home on Aug. 24, 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, 2021, and arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Ed Levine, who set bail at $99,000 cash upon the recommendation of prosecutors. He was released on Nov. 9, 2021, following a bail review from Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Garrett Page as part of the county’s pre-trial services program. Judge Page released Swider on Pre-Trial Monitoring Level Three-Plus, which included electronic monitoring and weekly reporting to Pre-Trial Services. Under the monitoring, Swider was prohibited from accessing any internet, social media, or communication apps, and he was also prohibited from contact with anyone under the age of 18
Swider has a lengthy criminal history in Montgomery County, dating back to his first arrest at the age of 19 years old in 1991. His convictions and associated sentences include:
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