A Tamaqua man charged with 35 counts of child pornography waived the charges to county court before his scheduled preliminary hearing Tuesday before District Judge Stephen J. Bayer of Tamaqua.

According to the affidavit of probable cause filed by Caitlin Smith in the case against Joshua Warfel, 34:

Smith received three CyberTips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on Aug. 27.

Three different social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, and Kik) were used to upload and share child pornography.

Each CyberTip referred to three uploaded files of apparent child pornography and one video.

On April 22, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a report from Facebook of one video of child pornography being uploaded and shared through their messenger system.

Facebook captured the account profile picture of the suspect’s Facebook along with the conversation leading up to the exact date and time Warfel updated the child pornography video.

On June 24, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a report from Kik.

According to a CyberTip, Kik reported one video of child pornography being uploaded on their platform. Kik Messenger, commonly called Kik, is a freeware instant messaging mobile application, known for its features preserving users’ anonymity, such as allowing users to register without the need to provide a telephone number or valid email address.

Kik captured the IP address used to upload a child pornography video.

On June 24, the National Center for Missing and Exploited children received a report from Instagram reporting one video of child pornography being uploaded and shared through their direct messenger system.

Instagram captured the profile picture of Warfel’s Instagram. The photo appears to show the same adult male in the Facebook profile picture. Instagram also captured the details with the conversation leading up to the exact date and time the video was uploaded by Warfel.

On Aug. 27, Smith sent subpoenas to T-Mobile and Google requesting information.

Smith confirmed that the files appear to depict children, under the age of 18, engaged in sexual acts and/or pose, and is believed to be a child pornography.

An intelligence analyst with the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General conducted an online records search of the Tamaqua address used.

On Oct. 2, Agents from the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General and local law enforcement executed a search warrant on the residence.

Warfel, who was present at the time, admitted to viewing and sending child pornography using different social media platforms, and admitted to receiving a link that contained about 300 to 500 child pornography images and videos in the Telegram app.

Warfel said there would be child pornography on his cellphone and laptop, and that he worked at the beer distributor near his home.

According to the IP address, Warfel uploaded and sent a child pornography video using Kik to another user while being at the beer distributor.

Warfel remains incarcerated in the Schuylkill County Prison in lieu of $50,000 monetary bail.