Mercer Co. Woman Facing Child Pornography Charges
SHARPSVILLE (KDKA) - A woman from Mercer County has been charged with taping the sexual abuse of a child.
Carissa Lee Vadala, 19, was arrested during an investigation involving police in both South Carolina and Pennsylvania.
"I would characterize this as a very disturbing case," said Jeff Johnson, of the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office.
Police in South Carolina say they found a video that showed Vadala sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl.
The video was sent to a man in South Carolina, identified as Randy Quinn, through a messaging app. After tracing IP addresses, police were led to a home in Sharpsville, Pennsylvania.
"Through further investigation, we were able to link that video to a residence in Mercer County here in Pennsylvania, and that's what led to the arrest," said Johnson.
Investigators here searched Vadala's home and arrested her on Friday.
She is facing several charges, including two counts of aggravated indecent assault of a child, production of child pornography and sexual exploitation of children.
"The suspect, she is charged with sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl, videotaping that abuse, and then disseminating the recordings that she made to other individuals," Johnson said.
Neighbors say they are shocked by the charges. They say Vadala was best known in the community for overcoming health challenges, spending time at the Children's Institute in Pittsburgh and other volunteer work.
Vadala is being held in the Mercer County Prison on $250,000 bond and is due in court for a preliminary hearing next week.
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