State trooper in New Stanton charged with possessing child porn, jailed on $500K bond

A state trooper assigned to the turnpike detail in southwestern Pennsylvania remains in jail after investigators allege he possessed dozens of computer files containing child pornography, including on a personal cellphone he was carrying when arrested Tuesday at the New Stanton station.

Sean R. McKenzie, 37, a corporal, is charged with 21 counts of possessing child pornography, 12 counts 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.

He was ordered held in the Westmoreland County Prison on $500,000 bond. A preliminary hearing is scheduled March 9 before East Huntingdon District Judge Charles Moore.

State police issued a news release announcing the arrest and reporting he was suspended without pay.

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 in Perryopolis, according to the complaint filed by Trooper Thomas Maloney.

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

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“McKenzie admitted to possessing and viewing child pornography. McKenzie advised that he has been viewing child pornography since 2014,” Maloney wrote, adding that McKenzie said he obtained a special email address “so that he could get child pornography from an account linked to child pornography.”

Police allege in court documents that they discovered images of pre-teenage girls performing sex acts with men on McKenzie’s computer files and on his iPhone. Investigators said the images included girls as young as 3.

Multiple images of child pornography were also found on a portable computer drive that McKenzie had in his shirt pocket and which he surrendered to investigators Tuesday, according to court documents.

McKenzie enlisted in the state police in 2008 and was previously assigned to Troop B in Uniontown. In 2016, McKenzie was promoted to corporal and assigned to Troop B, Pittsburgh, and recently worked out of New Stanton.