HONESDALE -- Wayne County District Attorney A.G. Howell announced the arrest of Ryan C. Collins, 25, of Newfoundland, Dreher Township, Wayne County, PA.
Collins was charged with 28 counts of Dissemination of Child Pornography, each graded as a felony 3rd degree. According to the police criminal complaint affidavit of probable cause filed by Wayne County Chief County Detective Peter Hower, the Wayne County Detectives received a CyberTipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in April 2021. According to the report, the social media app “Kik” discovered that one of their users had uploaded 28 files of suspected child pornography.
During his investigation, Detective Hower discovered that the files were uploaded by someone residing on Sterling Road in Newfoundland. A search warrant was served at that residence early Tuesday morning. During the course of the warrant service, it was discovered that resident Ryan Collins had actually uploaded the files. He was taken into custody and arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Carney, who set bail at $25,000. His next court appearance is scheduled for June 30, 2021 at 9:00 am.
In addition to the child pornography investigation, detectives at the residence discovered twenty-one (21) dogs living in deplorable conditions there. The PA State Dog Warden and members from the Dessin Animal Shelter were contacted. As a result, eight (8) of the dogs were seized and one (1) of the dogs had to be euthanized. That investigation continues.