Thomas Bowes, 38, of Towamencin. Credit: Lower Merion Township Police.
Thomas Albert Bowes, of the 700 block of Springhouse Court, was sentenced this week in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court and also given three years of probation after serving his time
A Towamencin Township man was sentenced to 30 to 60 months in state prison for possessing child pornography and having unlawful contact via social media with an undercover detective posing as a ninth-grade girl.
Thomas Albert Bowes, 40, of the 700 block of Springhouse Court, was sentenced this week in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court and given three years of probation, according to court records.
Bowes pleaded guilty to felony charges of possessing child pornography and unlawful contact with a minor, and a misdemeanor charge of identity theft, in connection with incidents that occurred in October 2023, according to court documents. He was charged by Conshohocken Borough and Lower Merion Township authorities.
In addition, Bowes must also report his address to state police for 25 years to comply with the Sexual Offender Registration and Notification Act, previously known as Megan’s Law.
An investigation of Bowes began in Oct. 4, 2023, when he began communicating with undercover detectives posing as an underage girl on the social media application Whisper.
The detective posted “Save me from school” superimposed over a picture on the Whisper app, to which Bowes replied, “Gladly, Mmmm my favorite age of girls,” according to investigators.
Then, Bowes went on to have a sexually explicit conversation with the undercover detective, and he then sent a picture of what he claimed was his penis, per the article. Bowes wanted to meet the underage girl in Lower Merion, police said.
A search warrant was served on Nov. 16, 2023. During the search, Bowe admitted to conversing with a 13-year-old girl, but denied he wanted to meet her, authorities said.
According to The Mercury, Bowes also admitted to sending a photo of his penis and a photo of a man and woman that he lifted from Facebook or Instagram without the permission of the owners.
Detectives fond seven videos and five photos of child sexual abuse material on Bowes’s phone depicting girls between five and 13 engaged in sexual acts or poses, police said.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
