Matthew B. Puterbaugh, 47, Charged with Child Exploitation in Pennsylvania
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Matthew B. Puterbaugh, a 47-year-old music teacher and band director at Dover Intermediate School in York County, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Harrisburg charging him with production of receiving, and possession of, child pornography.
Puterbaugh allegedly secretly recorded images of female students at the school that constitute child pornography. In February 2014, school officials reported a complaint to the Northern York County Regional Police Department. Police conducted searches and allegedly found thousands of images depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct on computers in Puterbaugh’s home.
Puterbaugh was suspended by the school district and charged by the York County District Attorney’s Office. Earlier this week, he was terminated from his position by the school district.
If convicted, Puterbaugh faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years imprisonment on the production charge, a mandatory minimum five years imprisonment on the receipt charge and a statutory maximum of 70 years imprisonment.
Puterbaugh appeared before Magistrate Judge Susan E. Schwab this afternoon. He was detained pending a detention hearing.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Meredith A. Taylor. Anyone with information concerning the subject matter of the investigation should contact the FBI at 717-232-8686 and reference the Puterbaugh case.
Key Facts
- State: Pennsylvania
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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