Pittsburgh-area man had more than 400 photos and videos of child pornography on his phone, police say
CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KDKA) — A man from Butler County is accused of having hundreds of child pornography images and videos on his cell phone.
The Cranberry Township Police Department got a tip and arrested John Lefler during Memorial Day weekend in a sting operation in the parking lot of the Giant Eagle store in the Cranberry Mall where he worked.
When approached by police, Lefler admitted he viewed and exchanged child pornography with others online and saved them on his cell phone. After a search of the 46-year-old's cell phone, investigators said they uncovered hundreds of stored child pornography images and videos.
A woman who wanted to remain anonymous has a 16-year-old who works at the Giant Eagle. She said she found out about the arrest not from her child's employer or police but on social media one month after it happened.
She says she's angry Giant Eagle didn't alert its employees of the arrest with, at the very least, an email.
"I don't know who this person is and I understand he has his rights," she said. "Innocent until proven guilty. But I still feel Giant Eagle as an employer should have notified the employees, all employees, not just minor parents."
According to the criminal complaint, investigators found 288 images and 144 videos of children under the age of 18 engaging in sexual acts on Lefler's phone. Some of the images showed violent acts of rape involving children under the age of 10, police said.
Lefler, who is no longer employed by Giant Eagle, was released on bond. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for next month.
A spokesperson for Giant Eagle said the store is not a corporate store but an independently owned store.
