Internet group leads to arrest of Westmoreland County man facing hundreds of child porn charges
A man is facing charges after police said they found hundreds of child pornography images and videos in a home not far from a Westmoreland County school.
Thomas Hibbard, 60, was arrested in a Westmoreland County neighborhood, but it was a tip from an international internet group that calls themselves the Predator Poachers that led to his arrest.
Hibbard has been charged with more than 900 counts of child pornography.
“We have the preschool right here on sight here at the church and we are right next to the elementary school,” said Andrew Wirt, the pastor of the West Hempfield Presbyterian church.
Pastor Wirt’s church sits right across the street from Hibbard’s home.
“To hear that something like that was just so close is a good reminder I guess, but definitely something to be concerned about,” Writ said.
According to court documents, Hibbard was initially charged by troopers in February after he attempted to meet who he thought was a 9-year-old girl on Instagram, but the child was really an international vigilante group called the Predator Poachers.
“Their tip is what originally led us there, so I appalled them for any types of tips that we get. We are always looking to get tips whether it’s a drug house, or in this case a predator,” said Trooper Stephen Limani, the public information officer for the Westmoreland barracks of Pennsylvania State Police.
With enough information police got a warrant to search his home, once inside they found 1,000 still images and more than 100 videos of child porn with children as young as infants.
“We don’t endorse any of these types of activities however we will take any tip that we get,” Limani said.
Something Pastor Writ said he is grateful for.
“We have policies here at the church for who works here and who’s allowed in our building, but you never know who’s next door,” Writ said.
Hibbard is in custody and was denied bond.
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