A federal grand jury has indicted a former Council Rock School District staff member on child pornography and solicitation charges.
Charles Lucas Dingman, 29, of Yardley Borough, faces federal charges of using an interstate commerce facility to entice a minor, attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual conduct, manufacture and attempted manufacture of child pornography, and possession of child pornography, according to David Metcalf, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
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Dingman was arrested by local police in January on state-level offenses.
According to a court docket, the state charges were withdrawn Tuesday by the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office as the case moved to federal court system.
According to the indictment, Dingman used the internet between June 2025 and October 2025 to sexually exploit a minor, convincing the victim to engage in sexually explicit conduct and creating a visual depiction of the acts.
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The grand jury also alleged that Dingman was in possession of child sexual abuse material in January.
The investigation into Dingman began Jan. 16 after the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office received three tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The tips flagged the suspected solicitation of child sexual abuse material on the social media platforms Snapchat and Twitch, according to court papers filed earlier this year in Bucks County.
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Court documents filed by Bucks County Detectives stated that one of the intercepted messages involved a user who claimed to be 13 years old requesting explicit photographs of a minor.
Detectives later identified Dingman as the individual operating those accounts, authorities said.
Bucks County Detectives and officers from several local police departments executed a search warrant at Dingman’s Yardley Borough home as part of the probe.
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While speaking with investigators from Newtown and Warrington townships, Dingman stated that police would find child sexual abuse material on his phone, according to detectives.
Law enforcement officials said Dingman identified himself to investigators as an elementary school teacher’s assistant.
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Public records indicate the Council Rock School District hired Dingman in October as a part-time teacher assistant at Holland Elementary School.
Council Rock School District Superintendent Dr. Andrew Sanko said at the time of the initial arrest that Dingman was terminated as soon as school officials became aware of the allegations.
The FBI assisted Bucks County authorities with the investigation.
If convicted, Dingman faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison, prosecutors said.
Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.