A 21-year-old Carrick man was arrested Thursday and charged with possessing and sharing child pornography.
An investigation by the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Child Predator Section led investigators to charge Cody R. Gahagan with 14 felonies, including possession of child pornography, dissemination of child pornography and criminal use of a communication device.
Investigators tracked Mr. Gahagan’s online activity in January to the home where he lived with his parents in the 1800 block of Westmont Avenue.
Authorities executed a search warrant at the home on Thursday and took Mr. Gahagan in for questioning after they found child pornography on a computer in the home. Mr. Gahagan at first said an unknown person who had his Social Security Number and identity had blackmailed him into viewing and sharing the child pornography, but later admitted that he “had an interest” in the images and videos.
“I am going to come clean,” he told investigators, before starting to cry, according to a criminal complaint.
He said he was ashamed of his actions and told investigators he’d “had a problem” for about a year.
He was being held in the Allegheny County Jail on a $10,000 bail Friday and is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing in City Court, Downtown, on March 7.
Shelly Bradbury: 412-263-1999, sbradbury@post-gazette.com or follow @ShellyBradbury on Twitter.
First Published: February 23, 2018, 10:58 p.m.