LANSDALE, PA — A Lansdale man had lengthy sexually explicit conversations online with an individual he believed to be a 13-year-old girl, the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office said. He also kept numerous videos and photos of child pornography on his phone, police said.
Thomas Bowes, 39, faces numerous felony charges.
Bowes responded to an undercover detective’s post on the social media app “Whisper” which featured a photograph of a ninth grade girl, police said.
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Bowes then launched into a sexual conversation with the child, sending her several photos of himself, according to authorities.
That led police to trace his IP address to a home on Springhouse Court in Lansdale, where they served a search warrant and found the child porn on his phone, the DA said.
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Bowes was taken into custody on Jan. 15 and has been charged with possessing and distributing child pornography, unlawful contact with a minor, and related counts.
Bail was set at $20,000 and he was unable to post. He was then booked at Montgomery County Correctional Facility.
A preliminary hearing is being scheduled.
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