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Chad E. Geist, 53, of Leola, was charged with four counts of Sexual Abuse of Children (Child Pornography) and one count of Criminal Use of a Communication Facility following an investigation prompted by a CyberTipline report, Manheim Township police announced on Wednesday, Jan. 29.
Despite his denial, a CyberTipline report led investigators to Geist after they traced a file upload suspected of containing child pornography to his IP address. Investigators traced the file’s IP address back to Geist, who denied possessing illegal material but admitted to looking at pictures of children, claiming he found them "cute" but emphasized that it was not in a sexual manner, police said.
A search warrant was executed at Geist’s home on the 3000 block of Oregon Pike, where authorities seized multiple electronic devices. Investigators said they uncovered numerous photographs and videos of child pornography, most of which depicted nude children. Despite his insistence that his interest was innocent, authorities said they discovered over one million images of minors in erotic clothing and sexually suggestive poses on his seized electronic devices.
A criminal complaint was filed on Jan. 23, and Geist was arraigned before MDJ Monson. His bail was set at \$50,000 unsecured, police said.
Anyone with information related to this case is asked to contact Sergeant Barry Waltz at 717-569-6401 Ext. 1505.
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