An Elk County man has been charged with distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material, according to an announcement by Attorney General Dave Sunday. Jason T. Orner, 45, from Saint Marys, faces several felony charges after an investigation by the Office of Attorney General’s Child Predator Section. His bail is set at $175,000.
Investigators found that Orner was sharing illegal videos from his residence on Chestnut Street, leading to a search warrant being executed by officials.
Attorney General Sunday stated, “The proactive work of our Child Predator Section uncovered this defendant’s efforts to network online videos of children being exploited and abused. Stopping the distribution of these materials is a priority for my office as we seek to protect children from exploitation and abuse. We will never yield in our efforts to bring these offenders out of the shadows in order to hold them accountable.”
The search at Orner's home was carried out by agents from the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General along with Saint Marys police officers, resulting in the seizure of a laptop computer and other devices.
A preliminary hearing is set for March 25. Senior Deputy Attorney General Angela Raver from the Child Predator Section will prosecute the case. It is important to note that criminal charges are merely allegations at this stage, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.