A 25-year-old Annville Township man is facing a stack of felony charges after Lebanon County authorities say he uploaded child sexual abuse material to the chat platform Discord, then admitted it when investigators showed up at his door.
Michael Eugene Pavasco was arrested Tuesday after the Lebanon County District Attorney’s Office says a series of cyber tips flagged files allegedly uploaded from his Discord account. Investigators executed a search warrant at his home, took him into custody, and say he later acknowledged making the uploads. He is due back in court next Thursday for a preliminary hearing, where prosecutors are expected to lay out more of their case.
According to LebTown, the Lebanon County Human Trafficking Task Force executed the search warrant on the morning of June 30 at a residence on the 200 block of South Lancaster Street in Annville. Detective Jared Henry of the Western Lebanon County Regional Police Department, who serves on the task force, had received cyber tips alleging that three separate files had been uploaded to Discord. Court records cited by investigators reportedly linked the Discord account and those uploads to Pavasco and to the Annville address.
The DA’s office charged Pavasco with three counts of criminal attempt to commit sexual abuse of children and three counts of sexual abuse of children, all graded as third degree felonies, along with one count of criminal use of a communication facility, reporting by Lebanon Daily News states. Prosecutors told reporters that Pavasco admitted using Discord to upload the files and confirmed that the phone number and email associated with the account were his.
Magisterial District Justice Anthony Verna arraigned Pavasco, who was released after posting $25,000 bail, according to local reporting. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Thursday, July 9, before Magisterial District Judge John Ditzler. Court records and a statement from the DA’s office indicate the investigation is still active and that additional evidence may be presented at the hearing.
How investigators say they tracked the uploads
Investigators with the DA’s office say they relied on a paper trail that ran through online accounts and internet records to connect the Discord uploads to Pavasco and to his Annville home. Court documents cited by local outlets allege that a phone used in the uploads was later factory reset and returned to the carrier, but that did not end the trail.
Detectives say account details and digital forensic traces helped them tie the activity back to Pavasco, according to Lebanon Daily News. Officials noted that the case moved forward under the county task force’s Internet Crimes Against Children, or ICAC, agreement, which gives local law enforcement extra tools and resources for handling online exploitation investigations.
Legal context
Pavasco’s charges are classified as third degree felonies under Pennsylvania law. A conviction on any of those counts can carry substantial prison time and financial penalties. The criminal use of a communication facility statute on its own allows for a sentence of up to seven years in prison and a fine of up to $15,000, according to state law and legal references such as FindLaw.
Third degree felonies in Pennsylvania can draw maximum prison terms of up to seven years, though any actual sentence would depend on the sentencing guidelines, the trial court, and any plea negotiations. As in every criminal case, the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
Task force and the bigger picture
The Lebanon County Human Trafficking Task Force operates under the national Internet Crimes Against Children network, which helps local agencies handle cyber tips, digital evidence, and cross-jurisdictional cases, according to the ICAC Task Force. Service providers and members of the public route tips to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, which runs the CyberTipline and forwards leads to local investigators.
Those referrals, processed through NCMEC’s CyberTipline, have become a primary way many online child exploitation cases get their start, according to law enforcement and prosecutors. In this case, those cyber alerts led directly to the Annville investigation and Pavasco’s arrest.
The upcoming preliminary hearing will determine whether the charges against Pavasco are held for trial. Court records are expected to provide more detail as the case moves through the system. Authorities say anyone with information related to this investigation can contact local law enforcement or submit a report through the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s CyberTipline.
