A 78‑year‑old man is in Berks County Jail following his extradition from Florida to face child pornography charges, several weeks after Caernarvon Township police declared him a fugitive from justice.
Richard T. Boyd, who has no permanent address, was committed to the jail in lieu of $50,000 bail following his arraignment Wednesday night before District Judge Sandra L. Fegley in Reading Central Court.
Caernarvon Township Detective Sgt. Chad Eberly charged Boyd in January with possessing child sexual abuse material, but authorities were unable to locate him. Eberly later learned that Boyd had left Pennsylvania and was staying with relatives in Florida, prompting a fugitive declaration on March 25.
The Berks County sheriff’s office coordinated with authorities in Lee County, Fla., to take Boyd into custody. He fought extradition and was held in Lee County Jail in Fort Myers while Berks prosecutors sought a governor’s warrant. Deputy sheriffs transported him back to Pennsylvania early this week.
According to Eberly:
The case began last fall when Boyd’s former landlord discovered a sexually explicit printed photo of a prepubescent girl on a printer tray while clearing out belongings left behind after Boyd’s eviction from a Hartman Road residence. The landlord turned the photo and numerous electronic devices over to Caernarvon police.
Eberly enlisted the Berks County district attorney’s forensic services unit to examine the devices. Investigators found more than 75,000 images and videos of unidentified pre‑ and pubescent boys and girls, some depicting sexual acts with adults or other children.