Retired police officer in Beaver County charged with possession of child pornography
A retired police officer in Beaver County has been charged with felony possession of child sexual abuse material, according to the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General.
Peter Benedict Jr., a 68-year-old former captain with the Brighton Township Police Department, is facing a list of felonies after a search of his home on Tuesday.
Police begin investigation
A man who didn't want to be identified had a strange feeling as he came home from work Tuesday afternoon.
He saw a van for the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General parked outside his neighbor's house for hours.
"We knew something bad happened," the man said. "There were several undercover cops in and out. They had a dog go in and out as well," he said.
The man didn't learn until Wednesday morning that the detectives were on Edgewood Drive conducting a search warrant for an investigation into Benedict.
"It's mind-blowing, really. You would think in a safe neighborhood like this, you wouldn't have to worry about things like that," the neighbor said.
Former cop and school resource officer charged
The Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General arrested and charged Benedict with 11 felonies of possessing child sexual abuse material and one for criminal use of a communication facility after finding several explicit photos on his computer.
Court records say in speaking with agents, Bendict told them he most recently viewed the content a few days ago. His reasoning was that he had a "curiosity."
The criminal complaint describes that he "didn't think what [he] was looking at was bad" and didn't believe he was "exploiting anyone" because he "wasn't involved in any [of] the activity." Benedict also "acknowledged to having a general 'attraction' [to the content of minors], but [said] it is nothing sexual."
According to a post on Brighton Township's Facebook page, Benedict retired from the police department in spring 2023 after serving the community for nearly 27 years, most recently as captain.
The Beaver Area School District superintendent told KDKA that during Benedict's tenure with the police department, he spent about 10 years as a Drug Abuse Resistance Education officer and four months from 2022 to 2023 as a school resource officer.
In a letter sent to parents, the district said it is "committed to maintaining a safe, trusting environment for all students and staff."
Benedict's neighbor, who has young girls, said this serves as a reminder to keep your guard up at all times.
"Who knows what his intentions are and what that could have led to had he not been caught?" the neighbor said.
Benedict remains in Beaver County Jail on $500,000 bail. Brighton Township police told KDKA they're not commenting at this time due to the ongoing investigation.
If you have any information to assist the investigation, you're asked to call the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General at 800-385-1044.
