Morgan Huber
Managing Editor
Manor Township Police arrested a young man in Washington Boro on Friday upon discovering he viewed child pornography.
Officers arrested Thomas Jefferson “TJ” Keener V, a 22-year-old Millersville student and 2019 graduate of Penn Manor High School, at his Water Street home in Washington Boro after a search revealed he possessed child pornography. The content discovered included 20 images depicting nude children under 18 years of age and five videos of child pornography, two of which depicted indecent contact. Keener allegedly used the internet to search for these images between Feb. 24 and March 17, 2022.
The investigation began on July 26 when the Lancaster County Digital Forensic Unit received anonymous tips through the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. The Cybertips included files shared through the messaging app Kik and screenshots of a Snapchat account by the names of TjKeener00 and jaysprite2020, respectively, which police traced to Keener’s email and IP address. These Cybertips prompted Manor Township Police and the ICAC Task Force to obtain a search warrant for Keener’s home and devices on Oct. 3. Upon receiving the search warrant, Keener confirmed both of these social media accounts belonged to him, according to an Affidavit of Probable Cause.
The search resulted in the discovery of child pornography on two devices – an Apple iPhone XR and an iBuyPower Desktop PC – both of which were owned by Keener. Manor Township Police subsequently charged the man with possession of child pornography, a third-degree felony with a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fee of $25,000, and criminal use of a communication facility, which carries a maximum seven-year prison sentence and $15,000 fine under state law.
District Judge Joshua Keller agreed to release the man on $25,000 unsecured bail at Keener’s arraignment on Friday. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 1 at 9 a.m. at the Lancaster County Courthouse. Attorney Douglas H. Cody and Assistant District Attorney Jessica Collo will represent Keener.
Judge Keller and arresting officer Colleen Tatara declined to comment or provide a statement on the ongoing case.
As the Millersville University Police Department (MUPD) were not involved in the investigation, they have no information regarding this case.
