A state senator in Pennsylvania, US, has been charged with possession of child pornography, according to the state attorney’s general office.
Republican state senator Mike Folmer was arrested on Tuesday night after images of child pornography were found on his phone after police searched his home.
The 63-year-old who represents parts of Lebanon, Dauphin and York counties was under investigation after the authorities received a tip that an individual had uploaded an image of child pornography to social media site Tumblr.
According to reports in the Independent, bosses at Tumblr approached the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in February.
The site is said to have informed the organisation that a user had uploaded at least one image containing alleged child sexual abuse in December 2017.
After cops obtained a warrant and searched his address, they allegedly found at least two indecent images of minors on his mobile phone.
Folmer was charged with sexual abuse of children, possession of child pornography and criminal use of a communication facility, attorney general Josh Shapiro’s office said in a statement.
As per USA Today, Shapiro said:
Michael Folmer stated that he had been dealing with some personal problems/issues and that he had received child pornography through his Tumblr blog.
I will continue to say it – no one is above the law, no matter what position of power they hold.
I will continue to work to protect children and hold those who abuse them accountable.
It’s reported Folmer’s bail has been set at $25,000, however at the time of reporting it was unclear as to whether he had posted it, the attorney general’s office said.
Folmer is yet to release a statement on the charges against him.
Originally from Lebanon, Folmer was elected as Pennsylvania senate for the first time in 2006 and was re-elected to his fourth term in November.
He recently opposed legislation which would have helped victims of historical child sexual abuse sue institutions such as the Catholic Church. The 63-year-old is known as one of the most conservative members of the chamber, regularly pulling out his own personal copy of the US Constitution from his pocket.
Folmer is set to appear before Magisterial district judge Thomas M. Capello for a preliminary hearing on Thursday, September 26.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues, and want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000. If you are a child seeking advice and support call Childline for free on 0800 1111.
Emma Rosemurgey is an NCTJ trained Journalist who started her career by producing The Royal Rosemurgey newspaper in 2004, which kept her family up to date with the goings on of her sleepy north east village. She graduated from the University of Central Lancashire in Preston and started her career in regional newspapers before joining Tyla (formerly Pretty 52) in 2017, and progressing onto UNILAD in 2019.