Latest news with #PENNSYLVANIA
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill to allow felony penalties for Pennsylvania school emergency hoaxes
PENNSYLVANIA (WTAJ) — New legislation that was approved by the Pennsylvania Senate would now create new penalties for individuals who create hoax emergency reports targeted at schools. The legislation, Bill 96, would work to crack down on false threats targeting schools. Central Pennsylvania Senator Pat Stefano hopes that it will enhance public safety and reduce the strain on emergency responders. Central Pennsylvania awarded over $650k to revitalize downtown areas Here's what the bill would do if it's signed into law: Making a false report of an emergency threat to a school would be classified as a third-degree felony Courts would be allowed to impose financial penalties to recover the costs incurred by taxpayers for emergency response efforts 'The safety of our community is paramount. This legislation is a critical step in holding malicious actors accountable, best protecting our schools and supporting our first responders by ensuring they are not burdened with the false threats of a prank,' Stefano said. The legislation, which is part of a broader package to ensure schools are safe, comes in response to a troubling rise in hoax threats made against schools across Pennsylvania. The bill heads to the House of Representatives for consideration. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Yahoo
Pennsylvania man sentenced to 20 years for producing child porn
PENNSYLVANIA (WTAJ) — A Montgomery County man has been sentenced after he used Omegle to upload, share and film child pornography. Kevin Murray, 30, of Oreland was sentenced to 20 years in prison and 15 years of supervised release by United States District Court Judge R. Barclay Surrick. Court documents showed that in 2020 the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) was contacted by an Omegle moderator about child pornography (CP) being uploaded. PSP: Florida man wanted for raping a child in Jefferson County Murray used the site to upload and share videos of CP. Police obtained a search warrant for Murray's residence and during a search he admitted to officers that he had CP. According to United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero, Murray confessed to using the site to also solicit sexual acts from minors and filming the encounters with them. They noted that between 2019 and 2020 Murray obtained 361 images and 93 videos of CP. 'Murray preyed on children, grooming them for his own deviant purposes,' U.S. Attorney Romero said. 'He exposed these young girls to child pornography to normalize sexual behavior in their minds, convinced them to engage in explicit acts on camera, then saved the material for his repeated consumption. My office and our partners are working every day to prosecute predators like this, get justice for their victims, and keep all children safe from similar harm.' This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
