EYEWITNESS NEWS (WBRE/WYOU) — A former officer with the Tamaqua Police Department is now facing federal charges and was indicted by a federal grand jury, accused of having unlawful contact with minors on Snapchat, the Department of Justice announced Thursday.
Back in May, the Tamaqua Police Department stated Officer Christopher Cordes, 29, of Nazareth, was arrested in May 2024 by the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office on 21 charges that include child pornography and unlawful contact with a minor.
Through further investigation, police said Cordes was “posting images of child exploitation material” on Snapchat with the username “haytherecowboy.”
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After a search warrant was served, investigators said they learned that Cordes had "numerous messages with other users where he would profess his sexual attraction to children." As stated in the affidavit, police found Cordes had conversations with multiple minors on Snapchat and tried to "solicit child pornography from the victims."
Cordes also allegedly attempted to receive child pornography, created and then sent imagesto at least one minor, and others, depicting himself engaged in sexual activity with animals.
The maximum penalty Cordes faces is life imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine.
