Sean David Lake, 33, of Dover, pleaded guilty on Monday, Nov. 9, to 19 third-degree felony counts of unlawful use of a computer before York County Judge Matthew Menges, court records show.
The remaining 13 felony charges against him were withdrawn.
Lake, a former York County Regional Police officer, had originally been charged with 32 felonies in June 2025, as Daily Voice reported at the time, after Pennsylvania State Police investigators uncovered his unauthorized use of the Commonwealth Law Enforcement Assistance Network, known as CLEAN.
Investigators determined Lake made 32 unauthorized database queries between October 2022 and October 2024, according to the affidavit of probable cause previously obtained by Daily Voice.
His attorney, Brian Perry, said Lake subsequently contacted 19 women through Facebook for dating purposes.
The law enforcement database was supposed to be used exclusively for official criminal justice purposes — not to investigate potential romantic interests.
CLEAN connects Pennsylvania law enforcement agencies to the FBI's National Crime Information Center, the Pennsylvania Justice Network (JNET), and other systems containing criminal histories, arrest records, protection-from-abuse information, and records involving missing or wanted people.
According to the original affidavit, investigators obtained search warrants for Lake's Facebook and Snapchat accounts after discovering suspicious database activity.
A review of those records, combined with interviews, revealed that Lake had searched for or directly messaged people on Facebook around the same time he accessed their information through CLEAN, investigators wrote.
Lake had no legitimate law enforcement reason to conduct the searches, state police determined.
He first received access to CLEAN on July 6, 2020, while working for the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.
His access was subsequently transferred to the Lower Windsor Township Police Department in August 2022 and York County Regional Police in September 2023.
As part of his required training, Lake acknowledged that database searches were subject to audits and could only be conducted for legitimate law enforcement or criminal justice purposes, according to the affidavit.
The rules even prohibited officers from searching their own information or that of acquaintances to test the system.
York County Regional Police learned of a possible violation on Nov. 12, 2024, and notified CLEAN administrators. Lake's access was formally barred on Jan. 9, 2025.
Pennsylvania State Police launched their criminal investigation on March 11, 2025.
Following his arrest, York County Regional Police issued a statement confirming its cooperation with investigators.
"The Department holds all its employees to the highest standards of ethical, moral, and lawful conduct—both on and off duty," officials said in the June 10, 2025, statement.
The department had previously welcomed Lake to the force in September 2023, noting his service in the United States Marine Corps and his previous employment with Lower Windsor Township Police.
Under the terms described by Perry, prosecutors agreed not to seek more than two years of incarceration if the judge imposes a prison sentence. Additional probation remains possible.
The court docket lists Lake's guilty plea as non-negotiated and shows that a pre-sentence investigation has been ordered.
Lake is scheduled to be sentenced on Monday, Jan. 11, 2027, at 10 a.m. before Judge Menges.
He remains free on $50,000 unsecured bail pending sentencing, according to the docket.
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