Douglas Penglase, 37, of Hatboro, was arrested this morning on charges of distribution and attempted distribution of child pornography, United States Attorney David Metcalf announced today.
According to 6ABC’s coverage, Penglase was employed by the Upper Moreland School District as a co-curricular employee for Upper Moreland High School as the marching band’s percussion head.
Penglase is no longer employed by the district, superintendent Dr. Sue Elliott said in a statement. He was hired in 2020 with no prior record that would have precluded his hiring.
Elliott said that the district is not aware of any improper use of the school district’s network.
“The District had not received any complaints or concerns from students or staff regarding his conduct,” Elliott said.
NBC10 reported that investigators executed a search warrant at Penglase’s home yesterday.
The investigation began on May 27, 2024, when the social media platform Kik reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that one of its users was transmitting files depicting child pornography. According to a statement, NCMEC “flagged 50 files as [Child Sex Abuse Material] CSAM, specifically, depictions of prepubescent female minor children between the approximate ages of 8-12 years engaged in sexual activities with adults.”
The account was seized by law enforcement via a search warrant, and review of the contents revealed almost 300 files containing CSAM. The search warrant return also included more than 1,100 messages between that target and other Kik users, officials said.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, officials said.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Carissimi. If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment.
The Hatboro Police Department also announced today that it was advised on Tuesday, March 11 by federal and county law enforcement agencies that a civilian employee of the department—now identified as Penglase—was investigated and arrested for alleged distribution of child pornography.
“The police department takes such events very seriously. There are no indications that any Borough owned computers or IT systems were involved,” the department said. “After reviewing the information which has been provided by law enforcement personnel, the employee is no longer employed by the Borough.”
The investigation remains ongoing. Inquiries can be directed to HSI Public Affairs Officer Jason Koontz at Jason.koontz@hsi.dhs.gov, police said. If you have any information, you are asked to contact the Homeland Security Investigations Philadelphia victim services tip line at 215-606-5549.
NBC10’s video coverage is below:
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Screengrab: NBC10