Corey James Clark, 35, of Newville, Cumberland County, was arraigned Sept. 15 on charges stemming from allegations that he recorded and abused a child at a church in Young Township, Jefferson County. He remains in the Jefferson County Jail on $100,000 bail. Pennsylvania State Police allege that a forensic examination of his cellphone and camera found videos showing a child in a bathroom with an adult male investigators later identified as Clark.
The criminal complaint says the alleged offenses occurred between Jan. 24, 2024, and Feb. 4, 2024, while Clark was involved with Sunday school, the nursery and a youth program at the church, according to exploreJefferson. Investigators say Clark had attended the church for several years before the allegations surfaced. The complaint charges him with two counts each of photographing, filming or depicting on computer a sex act involving a minor, a first-degree felony; unlawful contact with a minor for sexual offenses, a first-degree felony; unlawful contact with a minor tied to sexual abuse of children, a first-degree felony; sexual abuse of children involving child sexual-abuse material, a third-degree felony; and indecent assault of a person under 13, a first-degree misdemeanor.
How the Investigation Unfolded
The investigation was opened Aug. 10, 2026, by the Pennsylvania State Police Criminal Investigation Unit in Erie, according to the outlet's report. Troopers obtained and executed a search warrant the next day. Investigators allege that the resulting forensic examination of Clark's camera and cellphone found a video showing a child in a bathroom with an adult male whom they identified as Clark, along with additional videos on the cellphone.
The complaint alleges that Clark recorded a child in a restroom and accompanied the same child into a bathroom at a setting investigators initially suspected was a school or child-care facility. The child's parents identified bathroom and classroom locations in video screenshots as parts of the church, and investigators traced evidence from Clark's phone to the Punxsutawney-area church. The complaint also alleges that Clark touched the child inappropriately.
Volunteer Access and Bathroom Practice Questioned
The affidavit says volunteers in the youth program did not ordinarily accompany children to the restroom and that the children were old enough to use the bathroom without assistance. The child's family reportedly ended contact with Clark in early 2025, according to the affidavit.
Pennsylvania State Police led the initial probe, and Clark's devices underwent a digital forensic examination.
Pennsylvania's Volunteer Screening Rules
Under Pennsylvania's Child Protective Services Law, all volunteers in youth programs, Sunday schools or childcare settings who have direct contact with children must obtain background clearances at least once every five years, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. But the law also carves out an exception: unpaid church and community volunteers are exempt from federal FBI fingerprint checks if they have continuously resided in Pennsylvania for the previous 10 years and affirm in writing that they are not disqualified, per state statute cited by the Pennsylvania General Assembly.
Clergy members and religious organization volunteers with direct contact with children are also designated mandated reporters under Pennsylvania law, required to immediately notify ChildLine or law enforcement if they suspect abuse, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. Willful failure by a mandated reporter to disclose suspected abuse can itself lead to criminal charges under state law.
What statewide data show
Pennsylvania recorded 41,070 reports of suspected child abuse in 2024, compared with 40,301 in 2023, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. Those statewide figures do not establish a trend specific to churches, volunteers or other organizational caregivers, and the figures cited here are reports rather than a case-specific measure of investigations or substantiations.
Charges Filed Against Clark
The charges against Clark include two counts each of photographing, filming or computer-depicting a child engaged in a sexual act; unlawful contact with a minor for sexual offenses; unlawful contact with a minor tied to sexual abuse of children; sexual abuse of children involving child sexual-abuse material; and indecent assault of a person under 13.
Clark was unable to post the $100,000 bail set at his arraignment and was committed to the Jefferson County Jail. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for September 29 at 12 p.m. before Magisterial District Judge Douglas Robert Chambers.
Clark has not been convicted of any crime, and the charges remain allegations.
