EAST PENNSBORO TWP.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
BY FRANK COZZOLI AND JOE ELIAS
Of The Patriot-News
As an aide at the Kids on Campus day care at Central Pennsylvania College in Summerdale, Daniel Evan Clark was around children all the time, but never alone with them, his employer said.
But while at home in his Enola apartment, Clark, 19, was busy with his laptop computer sharing child porn on the Internet, authorities said.
Clark, of the 200 block of South Enola Drive, was being held in Cumberland County Prison on Wednesday in lieu of $75,000 bail after being charged with 125 counts each of possession of child pornography, dissemination of child pornography and criminal use of a communications facility.
Throughout the afternoon, workers at the day care assured parents that Clark was always supervised and that he was fired this month after authorities told them about the investigation.
"I know nothing bad happened," said Selena Ling, a teacher at the center who said she worked with Clark. "Staff members are not allowed to be alone with the kids."
The school is divided by a central hallway with windows looking into each room.
Parents picking up their children on Wednesday said they were convinced their kids weren't harmed.
"I trust my kids are safe here and they are in good hands," Nicole Monahan said.
The charges against Clark grew out of an investigation that began Jan. 24 after state police Cpl. Robert Erdely of the Computer Crimes Task Force uncovered child porn on an Internet site and traced it to Clark's laptop, arrest documents state.
Cumberland County detectives seized the computer on March 11. It contained 282 images of child porn and 14 child porn videos, arrest documents state.
"There were so many images that once the investigators got through a number of the files, the question became do we go through every one, or is that enough," said Cumberland County District Attorney David Freed.
"Our decision was, that's enough, let's get the charges filed and get him arrested," Freed said.
At this point, Freed said it appears Clark downloaded the images found on his laptop. Freed said investigators continue to trace where the images originated.
Clark's attorney, Frank Sluzis, declined to comment on the case.
Clark attended Central Pennsylvania College from October 2005 through June 2007, school officials said. He withdrew before earning his associate in accounting degree, officials said.
When Clark was hired in March 2006, he met the criminal background and child abuses assessment required by the Pennsylvania Department of Welfare, said Tina Nixon, CEO of the YWCA of Greater Harrisburg, which runs the day care facility.
Nixon said Clark was an aide working with pre-kindergarten-age children.
The day care and after-school programs have about 80 children ranging from 6 weeks old through the fifth grade, Nixon said.
"We are shocked and just stabbed by this whole situation," Nixon said. "We have zero tolerance for this, that's why he was removed immediately."
Freed said background checks can only go so far, and will only show official actions taken against an individual.
"So it's not perfect," Freed said. "And they seem to often find ways to get themselves near kids. "So it's very disturbing."
FRANK COZZOLI: 255-8454 or fcozzoli@patriot-news.com JOE ELIAS: 255- 8155 or jelias@patriot-news.com
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