Cranberry Township dad had over 650 files of child porn and took photos of teen neighbors in swimsuits, police say

CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KDKA) — A Cranberry Township father is facing charges after police said they found over 650 files of child pornography and photos of the neighborhood girls in swimsuits on his electronic devices.

Charles Bennett was charged on Friday with 100 counts of possession of child pornography, three counts of disseminating photos/films of child sex acts and criminal use of a communication facility after police said they searched his home this summer. 

According to court paperwork, the investigation into Bennett began in September of last year after authorities received multiple tips about child pornography uploaded to Instagram, Microsoft and Facebook between 2021 and 2023.

Investigators said they traced the information back to a home on Cherrytree Way in Cranberry Township, where a search warrant was executed on June 26 of this year. Police said Bennett, his wife and their 2-year-old son were home at the time. 

After seizing Bennett's devices, police said they found over 650 files of child pornography and over 1,700 images and videos of child exploitative material. Investigators said Bennett also had multiple images of teenage girls in their swimsuits, taken from inside Bennett's home while the girls were at a neighbor's pool. 

In the criminal complaint, police noted that Bennett has a son and at the time, the couple was expecting a girl. 

While Bennett is only facing 100 counts for the possession of child pornography, police said there were even more files in his possession and his devices weren't fully analyzed because there was enough evidence to charge him. 

Bennett was arraigned on Friday and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 3, according to court paperwork.