A Shenandoah man is locked up in Schuylkill County Prison after he was caught with explicit photos of children and found in possession of drugs.
According to an affidavit filed by the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General's Child Predator Section, 35-year-old Gregory Yoder, of Shenandoah has been charged with 50 counts of sexual abuse of children, criminal use of a communication facility, 2 counts of endangering the welfare of children, possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of a controlled substance.
The charges stem from an investigation that began on May 28th, 2024, when the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children received a report from Google. Google reported that they became aware of content that was saved to their Google Photos Infrastructure that included 78 uploaded files that involved sex acts with children. The explicit images included sexual acts with toddlers.
According to the affidavit, the files were stored to the Google Drive between September 2023 and May 2024 using a specific account.
The investigation into the account led to finding the files were uploaded using a phone registered to Yoder.
On November 6th, 2024, a search was prepared to search Yoder's residence at 339 West Centre Street in Shenandoah for his electronic devices and other evidence and on Thursday, November 7th, 2024, State and Local Police executed the search warrant.
Yoder answered the door and upon speaking with investigators admitted viewing and saving child pornography over the past several years and called himself a "collector".
During the search, a laptop, several hard drives, and SD cards were seized and upon forensic examination, images of child pornography were found.
Upon speaking with investigators, Yoder also said he shared a bedroom with his two children. While searching for the electronic devices, a box was found in the bedroom next to the bed containing baggies, an orange pill bottle, and a green bag containing a dark substance. The green bag was field tested by Shenandoah Police Chief George Carado which tested positive for fentanyl. The items, including the fentanyl, were within reach of the children's bed, putting them at risk of serious injury.
As a result of the findings, Yoder was taken into custody on the above charges and arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Anthony Kilker and locked up in Schuylkill County Prison on $100,000 straight cash bail.
Yoder is scheduled to appear before Judge Kilker on November 21st, 2024, for a preliminary hearing.