Fayette County district judge rejects suspended trooper's request for bond

A suspended state trooper assigned to the New Stanton turnpike detail will remain in the Fayette County Prison without bond as he awaits a preliminary hearing on multiple charges of possessing child pornography, a district judge ruled Tuesday.

Cpl. Sean R. McKenzie III, 37, was suspended March 1 after state police arrested him, alleging computer devices in his home and a personal cell phone contained dozens of computer files containing child pornography

Private attorneys for the trooper asked presiding Central Court Judge Ronald Haggerty of Connellsville Tuesday to set a bond.

Attorney Tim Andrews and Ken Burkley, both of Greensburg, asked Haggerty to establish a bond moments after the judge granted Fayette County District Attorney Richard Bower’s request that McKenzie’s preliminary hearing be continued because “an expert witness” was not available to testify Tuesday.

Andrews told Haggerty that McKenzie is entitled to a bond under state law.

McKenzie was originally arrested in Westmoreland County after investigators questioned him during his shift and reported discovering images of children engaged in sex acts on his cell phone and zip drive he was carrying. He was ordered held in the Westmoreland County Prison after failing to post $500,000 bond.

However, on March 2, investigators refiled the criminal complaints in Fayette County because many of the images were downloaded and held on computer devices McKenzie kept in his residence in Perryopolis.

Star Junction District Judge Richard Kasunic II arraigned McKenzie again March 3 and ordered him held at the county prison in Uniontown without bail.

Kasunic noted in court documents that he believed McKenzie “was a threat to the community,” according to online dockets.

Bower objected to any change in McKenzie’s bail conditions due to the severity of the charges.

When Haggerty questioned Bower about alleged evidence state police compiled, Bower said investigators believe at least one image involving a minor was filmed at McKenzie’s residence.

Haggerty then rejected the bond request from Andrews and Burkley.

After the brief proceeding, Andrews said the attorneys would file motion for bond and seek a hearing in common pleas court.

“Our client is a longstanding member of this community, he is not a flight risk and has never been in trouble before. He is entitled to a bond,” Andrews said.

A new preliminary hearing date was not scheduled.

An investigation began last year when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received information that 215 images of child pornography had been uploaded into a digital file that was eventually traced to an internet account at McKenzie’s home address, according to the complaint filed by Trooper Thomas Maloney.

Troopers acquired a search warrant for McKenzie’s home, which was searched at the same time they summoned him to the New Stanton station for an interview, Maloney reported in court documents. Troopers also acquired a warrant to search his possessions.

McKenzie is charged with 21 counts of possessing child pornography, 12 counts of disseminating photographs depicting children involved in sex acts, and single counts of possessing images of children involved in sex acts and criminal use of a communication facility.