Radnor’s Ahr waives hearing in child-porn case
MEDIA COURTHOUSE » Former Radnor Board of Commissioners president Philip Ahr waived formal arraignment Wednesday on 130 child pornography and related charges.
Ahr, 67, of the 100 block of Meredith Avenue in Rosemont, was arrested Oct. 11 following an investigation by the Delaware County District Attorney’s office into charges that he had downloaded and distributed child pornography, including images of toddlers.
The investigation began after Yahoo identified 25 suspected images of child pornography being traded through the Yahoo Messenger account “sokrateaze404@yahoo. com.”
The IP address for an associated email was traced back to Ahr’s home in Radnor, where county detectives executed a search warrant Sept. 21. Former District Attorney Jack Whelan said at the time of Ahr’s arrest that a forensic examination of electronics seized under that warrant revealed more than 500 files of suspected child pornography. Ahr was also having sexual discussions about children through Yahoo Messenger with an unknown person, received about a dozen images of girls he estimated to be about 13 years old through Messenger and searched for images on the Internet using terms like “daddy daughter,” “young” and “teen,” according to an affidavit of probable cause.
Ahr, a Democrat who formerly represented the township’s Seventh Ward, stepped down as president in October and formally resigned from his position on the board in November. He became a commissioner in January 2016.
Ahr, represented by defense attorney Mark Much, remains free on 10 percent of $100,000 bail. No pretrial hearing date was available Wednesday. Assistant District Attorney Ryan Grace is prosecuting.