PA Supreme Court Upholds Man's Child Porn Conviction

CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, PA - The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that police did not violate a Pittsburgh man's constitutional rights when they searched his computer after being alerted by a shop repairing it found child pornography files. The court ruled Tuesday against Jon Eric Shaffer, who contended his Fourth Amendment right against illegal search and seizure were breached by law enforcement officials.

Shaffer, 50, was arrested in 2016 after taking his malfunctioning computer to CompuGig in Cranberry. After a technician there found images of child porn while installing a new hard drive, the shop notified the Cranberry Police Department. Police seized the computer without first getting warrant, then searching the computer thoroughly after obtaining one.

Based on the evidence found on the machine, Shaffer was convicted on child pornography possession and criminal use of a communications facility charges. He was sentenced to six to 12 months in prison and 156 months of probation.

In the Supreme Court majority opinion, Justice Max Baer noted that the illegal files were discovered by a private individual and not by law enforcement. The Fourth Amendment only covers searches conducted by agents of the government.