DelCo Teen Charged With Possessing Child Porn, Taking 'Up-Skirt' Recordings At Villanova
MARPLE Twp., Pa. (CBS) -- Delaware County officials announced the arrest of a teenager on child pornography charges as well as invasion of privacy.
District Attorney Jack Whelan announced the arrest of Vincent Kane, 19. Officials say Kane possessed child pornography and also took part in "up-skirting," individuals.
Kane allegedly used a hidden cell phone camera to take video of people in public areas and restrooms. One place where this activity took place, according to authorities, was on the campus of Villanova University in a unisex bathroom.
Villanova released a statement on Wednesday regarding the arrest and the alleged activity:
"We recently became aware that members of the Villanova community were victims of an invasion of privacy. This incident has been the subject of an ongoing investigation since late September, which led to the arrest today of a part-time Villanova student. The University is appalled by the behavior of this individual, and he has been banned from campus since shortly after the investigation began. Throughout the investigation, we have worked closely and cooperated fully with the Delaware County Criminal Investigation Division. The University is committed to providing resources and support to anyone affected by this incident. There is nothing more important than the safety and security of our students and the entire campus community."
Villanova's Director of Public Safety and Chief of Police David Tedjeske also addressed the students, faculty and staff in an email on Wednesday which read in part:
I am writing to inform you about an incident on campus that has been the subject of an ongoing investigation since late September. On Thursday, September 22, a Villanova student discovered a phone in a single-stall restroom on the third floor of Tolentine next to room 310A. It was learned that the camera on the phone was recording video of individuals using the restroom. The University's Department of Public Safety and the Delaware County Criminal Investigation Division (CID), working very closely together, launched an immediate investigation into the incident.
The investigation revealed that the phone belonged to a 19-year-old part-time commuter student. The investigation also revealed that a number of videos had been taken on different dates in the same restroom, once in April 2016, and four times this September. Investigators and computer analysts do not believe that any of the videos have been uploaded to the Internet. Earlier today, the student was arrested by detectives from the Delaware County CID. In addition to charges relating to these incidents, the student faces other serious charges as a result of the investigation that are unrelated to the University. The student has not been permitted on campus since shortly after the investigation began.
Tedjeske went on to provide a list of the dates on which the recordings allegedly were taken:
- Thursday, April 28, between 12:15 and 1:15 p.m.
- Friday, September 9, between 1:25 and 1:40 p.m.
- Thursday, September 15, between 2:00 and 2:45 p.m.
- Friday, September 16, between 1:30 and 1:45 p.m.
- Thursday, September 22, between 2:00 and 2:30 p.m.
Anyone on the campus who believes they may have been impacted by these recordings is asked to contact authorities.
Kane, a Broomall native, is charged with possession of child pornography, sexual abuse of children, invasion of privacy and creation of obscene materials among other related charges. He surrendered to authorities on Wednesday. His bail was set at 10 percent of $50,000 which was posted.
As conditions of bail, Kane must undergo a psychosexual evaluation, must not use the internet, or contact minors and he has no access to Villanova University. His preliminary hearing is set for November 3.
