A Bellefonte man will be tried in August on 328 counts of child sex abuse charges after his victim’s testimony at a preliminary hearing revealed his actions and threats.
Jeffrey Storms, 41, had his charges bound over for trial and faces felony possession of child pornography, aggravated indecent assault, attempted involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, attempted rape and dissemination of sexual materials to minors. His misdemeanor charges include indecent assault, terroristic threats, corruption of minors and simple assault.
At his preliminary hearing on Wednesday, a victim of Storms’ said she was abused from the time she was six years old until she was eight years old. Storms told her that if she ever disclosed her abuse to anyone, he would ‘put her in the ground.’
The investigation into Storms’ crimes started in December when one of his child victims reported his abuse to Pennsylvania State Police. In conjunction with the Centre County District Attorney’s office, the investigation revealed several other victims. A search warrant led to the finding of 175 photos and videos of child pornography, located on various electronic devices in Storms’ home.
‘While I am always so sorry to see when children have to testify in these case, they were incredibly brave. We are of course pleased the charges were held to court and the defendant remains incarcerated at this time,’ said Stacy Parks Miller, Centre County District Attorney.
Storms is being held on $25,000 straight bail.
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