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JERSEY SHORE -- Two Lycoming County men, one of whom police say is designated a sexually violent predator, have been charged in a child predator sting.
Jeffrey Scott Spong, 50, and Jacob Scott Hollick, 33, both of the Jersey Shore area, were arrested Monday in what state police called an operation aimed at identifying those involved in the possession, distribution and production of child sexual abuse material.
One arrest is pending in the investigation that stemmed from two reports made to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children cyber tip line, they said.
Spong was arrested during the execution of a search warrant at his residence during which three phones referenced by Google in the cyber tips were seized, the arrest affidavit said.
An investigator scrolling through the devices found more than 10 images that depicted child sexual material, along with a multitude of artificially generated files, according to the document that details what the images portrayed.
Spong, according to the affidavit, told police he has been viewing child sexual material for five or six years and looking at images of male children being spanked.
A search warrant was executed at Hollick's residence also on Monday during which police said they found multiple files on his phone of young females nude and engaging in sexual activity.
Police said he was designated a sexually violent predator in a 2003 case in which he pleaded guilty to charges of indecent assault on a person under the age of 13 and corruption of minors. He last reported as required under Megan's Law on July 9, they said.
When interviewed, Spong told an investigator he does not have WiFi in his residence so he obtains access for his cell phone at the Jersey Shore YMCA where he is a member. A YMCA official confirmed the membership.
He said he obtained the child sexual abuse material from a website and his searches had spiraled from looking at adult pornography, an affidavit states.
Spong is jailed without bail on 13 counts of possession of sexual abuse of children material.
Hollick is incarcerated in lieu of $250,000 bail on eight counts of possession of that material and four counts of criminal use of a communication device.