Secret recordings of juvenile, adult victims lead to arrest of Montgomery County man
Montco man charged after secretly recording victims in Pa, NJ
Police say the investigation stemmed from Abington Township to Ocean County, New Jersey.
ABINGTON TOWNSHIP, Pa. - A Montgomery County man has turned himself into police after a warrant was issued with charges including invasion of privacy and felony sexual abuse of children, among other charges. Abington Township detectives confirmed the man secretly recorded two victims in a home on Menlo Avenue.
What we know:
Officials in Montgomery County announced David Lyons, of Abington Township, turned himself into police after a warrant was issued on multiple charges, including felony sexual abuse of children.
In July of 2024, officials said, Lyons was arrested by Beach Haven, New Jersey, police after a recording was made of a family member of Lyons taking an outdoor shower.
In that investigation, according to authorities, evidence led detectives to a residence on the 2200 block of Menlo Avenue in Abington Township. At that point, Abington Township Special Victims Unit detectives were contacted and they began an investigation into allegations of possible additional recordings.
What they're saying:
"Anytime there's a child victim, it brings it up to a much higher level of seriousness," stated Abington Township Police Detective Sgt. Ryan Dunzee.
He continued, "Abington Police were contacted in July of this year by the Beach Haven Police Department regarding David Lyons. In that case, they actually found he had, in a vacation home, put cameras in a stall where people were taking showers."
"When they called us, they already had Information that there might have been some crimes that were taking place in Abington Township which they forwarded to our investigators and they were able to confirm that there were videos that were taken using hidden cameras at a house in Abington Township," Sgt. Dunzee explained.
Dig deeper:
Abington detectives confirmed, as a result of the investigation, Lyons secretly recorded a juvenile and an adult in a bathroom while clothed and not clothed at the residence on Menlo Avenue.
Officials then issued a warrant for Lyons, with multiple charges including felony sexual abuse of children, producing obscene and other sexual materials and invasion of privacy.
Lyons turned himself into Abington Township Police on Wednesday. He was arraigned and bail was set at $10,000 cash. Lyons met the bail amount and was released.
Sgt. Dunzee went on, "Every time that somebody is recorded without their consent as an adult and every time a juvenile is recorded in any type of state of undress it’s extremely, extremely serious."
What you can do:
If anyone has any additional information about the investigation or believe they may be a victim of David Lyons, they are urged to contact Detective Cindy Pettinato, with Abington Township SVU at 267-536-1198 or cpettinato@abingtonpa.gov.