WESTMORELAND COUNTY, PA — An FBI probe has connected a Connecticut man to altering publicly posted photos of Penn-Trafford School District students to create child pornography.
The district confirmed the investigation in a statement released Wednesday, saying the FBI notified district officials over the summer that a person had obtained two photos of district students from the Penn-Trafford website originally posted four years ago.
The photos were altered to create what the district termed "inappropriate and explicit images." At the time, the FBI instructed the district not to disclose any information on its investigation; the district complied with that directive.
"We are deeply saddened and disturbed that our students were victimized in such a manner," the district statement said.
" The safety, well-being, and privacy of our students remain among our highest priorities, and we recognize the emotional impact that an incident of this nature can have on students and their families."
The district identified the person accused in the investigation as Stephen Dickson, a Connecticut resident.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice Connecticut District, the FBI last year analyzed Dickson's computers, hard drives and a smartphone and discovered several hundred images and videos of suspected child pornography.
"There were dozens of images of female children, likely downloaded from social media sites such as Facebook, that were digitally manipulated to remove clothing in order to create child pornography," a release from the justice department stated.
Federal authorities arrested Dickson in May 2005. He is free on a $150,000 bond.
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