WESTMORELAND COUNTY, Pa. — A Westmoreland County man is facing charges after police said he uploaded child pornography to YouTube.
State Police investigators were alerted after James Gockle allegedly uploaded to YouTube a sexually explicit video of a girl between 8 and 10 years old.
Police said Gockle sexually abused the girl and recorded it in 2013, but just recently uploaded the video. The video was flagged, leading to his arrest.
Investigators believe the video was created when Gockle lived in the Jeanette area.
“It was Mr. Gockle talking and video taping what appears to be a young girl from the neighborhood who would probably be around 10 years old at the time,” Pennsylvania State Trooper Steve Limani said. “She doesn’t have any clothes on, and he has a videotape that starts at her feet and obviously goes over her body, which is disgusting.”
Troopers searched Gockle’s current North Huntingdon home where reportedly he lives with his mother and girlfriend.
Investigators seized video equipment and a large number of tapes.
They found one tape of child pornography that they believe he shot and uploaded. Additionally, they discovered a large number of videos taken in public places of children’s feet.
“We did retrieve a lot of other videos that were saved, the majority of those videos, albeit unusual, because they were of young people’s feet. They did not have any other what we would consider criminal actions that we can tell as of right now,” Limani said.
Police said there could be more victims. The investigation is ongoing.
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