6 Bradford County men arrested in child predator sting operation: State police

• Pennsylvania State Police worked with multiple law enforcement agencies to identify offenders involved in the possession, distribution, and production of child pornography.
• As a result of the April 7-11 operation, six Bradford County residents were charged with multiple felonies, and an additional arrest is pending, state police say.
• Investigators were also able to identify several juvenile victims, and they spoke to the victims and their parents about the dangers of online activity.

Six Bradford County residents face multiple child sex crime felonies following a child predator sting operation carried out this week by Pennsylvania State Police Northeast Computer Crime Task Force, in conjunction with the Bradford County District Attorney's Office and numerous other law enforcement agencies.

The operation aimed at identifying offenders involved in the possession, distribution, and production of child sexual abuse material, as well as locating victims of child exploitation in Bradford County.

During the operation, the task force responded to 15 homes investigating internet-related crimes against children. Twenty-four tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children were investigated and closed out.

As a result of the investigation, the following suspects were charged:

• Robert Michel, Wysox: 10 counts of felony 2 sexual abuse of children, one count of felony 3 sexual abuse of children, two counts of felony 3 criminal use of communications facility. Incarcerated in lieu of $100,000 bail.
• Calvin Shaffer, Wyalusing: 10 counts of felony 2 sexual abuse of children, 12 counts of felony 3 sexual abuse of children, 2 counts of felony 3 criminal use of communications facility. Released after posting $75,000 bail.
• Evan Hitchcock, Rome: 10 counts of felony 2 sexual abuse of children, 10 counts of felony 3 sexual abuse of children, one count of felony 3 criminal use of communications facility. Incarcerated in lieu of $300,000 bail.
• Brandon Lantz, Athens: 11 counts of felony 2 sexual abuse of children, 11 counts of felony 3 sexual abuse of children, 6 counts of felony 3 criminal use of communications facility. Incarcerated in lieu of $500,000 bail.
• Brad Swink, Rome: Five counts of felony 2 sexual abuse of children, one count of felony 3 criminal use of communications facility. Incarcerated in lieu of $500,000 bail.
• Robert Pillot, Canton: 12 counts of felony 1 sexual abuse of children, 20 counts of felony 2 sexual abuse of children, one count of felony 3 sexual abuse of children, six counts of felony 2 failure to provide accurate registration information. Incarcerated with no bail.

Other than Shaffer, the other five suspects are in custody at the Bradford County Correctional Facility.

One additional arrest is pending the results of a digital forensics investigation, state police said. The arrests are the result of separate, unrelated cases, according to the Bradford County District Attorney's Office.

Investigators also located and identified several juvenile victims. The juveniles were educated about the dangers of online activity. Parents and guardians can find resources and information at missingkids.org/home.

Other agencies involved in the sting operation included the FBI, the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office, the Canton Borough Police Department, detectives from Lycoming, Lackawanna, and Bradford counties; and troopers from the state police Towanda barracks.

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