A Scranton man — whom investigators described as a sexually violent predator — faces charges after child sexual abuse images were found on his phone, police said.
State troopers arrived at 906 Madison Ave. in Scranton on Jan. 28 around 5:15 p.m. to serve an arrest warrant on David Rockwell for multiple Megan’s Law violations, according to a criminal complaint.
The troopers took Rockwell into custody and transported him to Lackawanna County’s processing center for arraignment, police said.
Later that day, around 10 p.m., Nick Dranchak, a lieutenant at the county prison, advised Trooper Ryan Kearney that two prison employees overheard a phone conversation between Rockwell and Omar Kodah, around 9:30 p.m., in which Rockwell told Kodah to delete the search history from an electronic device, according to the criminal complaint.
The next day, around 9:30 a.m., Kearney conducted a phone interview with Kodah and asked if Rockwell had contacted him the night before, police said.
When asked about the conversation, Kodah admitted Rockwell told him to delete the search histories from Rockwell’s phone at Kodah’s residence, investigators said.
Kodah told Kearney that he panicked and used the passcode to delete search histories for pornography, according to the criminal complaint.
Kearney then ordered Kodah not to delete anything else from the phone and scheduled a meeting to pick up the device, police said.
On Jan. 30, troopers and a parole agent met Kodah at a gas station on Mulberry Street, and he handed over Rockwell’s phone, investigators said.
Kodah also admitted deleting several photos, including one of a “younger boy” from the device, according to the criminal complaint.
During a discussion at the prison, Rockwell told a parole agent that he had some child sexual abuse material on his phone and said it was probably still on there, police said.
Kearney received a computer crimes forensic download report from Rockwell’s phone on Oct. 24 which indicated some images appeared to show a child engaged in a sex act with an adult male, and other photos appeared to show naked males under the age of 18, investigators said.
The report also indicated images were reviewed by the user two different times on Jan. 30, and images were deleted the same day, according to the criminal complaint.
In total, there were seven instances in which photos were removed from the phone around the same time Kodah admitted deleting several photos, police said.
Earlier this month, the Children’s Advocacy Center reviewed 27 photos tagged for child sexual abuse material, investigators said. Nurses reported that seven photos were determined to be child sexual abuse material, according to the criminal complaint.
Police charged Rockwell, 59, 1020 Cooper St., with seven counts of sexual abuse of children – child sexual abuse material.
As of Monday, Rockwell remained in Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of $50,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Nov. 24 at 11:15 a.m.
Police charged Kodah, 22, 906 Madison Ave., with obstructing the administration of law or other governmental functions, hindering apprehension or prosecution, and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence.
Kodah was released on $15,000 unsecured bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Nov. 24 at 11 a.m.