Pennsylvania resident arrested for child pornography, child sex abuse

HARRISBURG, Pa. — A 19-year-old Carlisle man was charged with child pornography possession and abusive sexual contact with a child under the age of 12 following an investigation led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Zackary Adam Knight was charged in a criminal complaint filed May 9 in U.S. District Court in Harrisburg.

Knight was arrested by HSI special agents and appeared before Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Martin C. Carlson May 12. After a brief hearing, Carlson ordered that Knight be detained in custody based on the seriousness of the offenses and the resolution of questions regarding a future fixed address for the defendant. At the time of the arrest, Knight was a resident of housing facilities at the Army War College, Carlisle Barracks.

The ongoing investigation is being conducted by HSI Harrisburg and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, with assistance from the U.S. Army Criminal Investigative Division, Upper Allen Township Police Department and the Pennsylvania State Police.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James T. Clancy in the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

The investigation is part of HSI's Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 10,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2013, more than 2,000 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative.

HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.

HSI is a founding member and current chair of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.