PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A Willow Grove man is accused of paying an underage girl for illicit photos through social media, and Abington police said evidence shows there are other victims.
Deren Thach, 38, faces several felony charges, including sexual abuse of children, corruption of minors, and creation and possession of child sexual abuse materials.
Abington police said the investigation into Thach started in December. “We learned that the victim met Thach on Snapchat, and he actually started grooming her by supplying her with alcohol,” said Abington Deputy Police Chief Ed Quinn.
According to Quinn, a search warrant was served on Thach’s apartment earlier this month, where he said they found digital evidence supporting the allegations. Thach turned himself in to authorities on March 12.
The deputy chief urged parents to have regular conversations with kids about online safety. “Online predators often use social media platforms, gaming systems, chat apps and messaging services to contact children,” he explained.
“They often misrepresent their age, they attempt to build trust over time and gradually introduce inappropriate conversations, requests for personal information, photos or even in-person meetings.”
Quinn said there is reason to believe there are more victims, though investigators can’t say exactly how many more.
“It is an ongoing investigation, and if anybody feels as though they had contact with this suspect or know somebody who may have been a victim of his, [they are] encouraged to call the Abington Police Special Victims Unit at 267-536-1100,” he said.
Thach is free on a $100,000 bond, with a preliminary hearing scheduled for later this month.