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Berks County Expert In Bog Turtles Caught With Child Pornography: DA

A 51-year-old man from Berks County has been charged with sexual abuse for possessing child pornography, authorities said.

Michael E. Torocco

Michael E. Torocco

Photo Credit: Berks County DA

Michael E. Torocco, of Wyomissing, surrendered to detectives on Wednesday, Aug. 21, according to Berks County District Attorney John T. Adams.

A search warrant found more than 200 images of child pornography in Torocco's DropBox account, Adams said.

As a herpetologist, Torocco is considered a specialist in bog turtles, according to this website.

Also an expert in the ecology of the New Jersey Pine Barrens, Torocco has assis­ted in original research on the timber rattlesnake, pine snake, corn snake, and Pine Barrens treefrog, the website says.

The Berks County Detective’s Office initiated a criminal investigation after receiving a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children involving digital files of suspected Child Pornography that were being uploaded and shared utilizing a cloud storage service called “DropBox’.

Members of the Berks County Detectives executed a search warrant at the defendant’s residence located in Spring Township. Numerous electronic devices were seized during this search.

As a result of a forensic analysis conducted on the defendant’s electronic devices by the Berks County District Attorney’s Forensic Services Unit, digital files of suspected child pornography were located on a hard drive seized from the Torocco's residence, Adams said.

Torocco was charged on Tuesday, Aug. 20.

Torocco was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Ann L. Young and released on $25,000 unsecured bail.

He is due to appear at a preliminary hearing on Sept. 10, according to court records.

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