Accused molester facing slew of additional charges
High charged with assaulting toddler; other alleged victims come forward
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A Hollidaysburg man already facing charges for assaulting a toddler now faces additional accusations after other victims came forward, Altoona police posted on the department's Facebook page.
Daniel Mark High, 76, was arraigned Thursday afternoon before Magisterial District Judge Daniel C. DeAntonio on five felony counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse of a victim less than 16 years old, three felony counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse of a person less than 16 years old and single counts of unlawful contact with a minor, disseminating explicit sexual material to a minor and a misdemeanor charge of corruption of minors.
After High was arrested and charged in November for the assault on the toddler, additional people began telling police of their interactions with High dating back to the early 1990s.
First Assistant District Attorney Nichole Smith said Friday that it's not unusual for sexual assault victims to remain silent, sometimes for years, before they're willing to reveal what happened.
"In this case, more victims came forward after the news of High's arrest based on the earlier charges," Smith said.
High was arrested in November based on the allegations of a family member who said he saw High fondling a toddler over the toddler's clothing and under the toddler's diaper.
After Altoona police received additional reports about High, lead Detective Jon Burns initiated an investigation on Nov. 16 resulting in the charges filed Thursday. Burns and other detectives obtained enough evidence to charge High with sexually assaulting four additional victims from the time they were 11 years old throughout their early teens.
Detectives conducted an extensive search through VHS tapes recorded by High, along with DVDs, 35 mm film rolls, photographs and cellphones.
Police allege High commonly took the victims on trips, provided drugs and alcohol and purchased gifts for the victims throughout the years.
The victims, now in their 40s, could describe High's apartment in detail and all knew him as "Uncle Danny," although they weren't necessarily related, court documents state. In one case, a victim said High told him the assaults were normal, that everyone did it, but it was something you didn't talk about. Over a five-year period, one victim was assaulted on nearly 1,000 separate occasions, court documents state.
In another case, a victim said High told him it was something special they do at his residence but they don't tell anyone because they wouldn't understand. When a victim confided in another juvenile, he was told it was a normal thing that occurred at High's residence.
During the probe, police learned of an investigation into High that took place in December 2019 through January 2020 involving allegations advanced by an 11-year-old boy. Evidence seized in that case was packaged and secured in APD's evidence room. That evidence included four 35 mm film rolls, 31 photos, four disposable cameras, one digital camera, four VHS tapes, four DVDs, a cellphone and ID/bank cards for High.
Police investigating the newer charges received two search warrants, one for the evidence already secured in the department's evidence room and one for High's apartment. On Nov. 29, police executed the search warrant on High's home and found a digital camera and SD card, a 35 mm camera with film inside, a flip phone, two additional cameras, a box containing floppy discs, five DVDs, a VHS camcorder tape and 104 VHS tapes.
While an analysis of the tapes and photos did not turn up child pornography, the evidence corroborates the names mentioned by the victims and the events. On the videos, police reported that young juvenile males can be seen drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes.
On a flip phone, police found photos taken of High's most recent victim, a 3-year-old, court documents state.
High is currently incarcerated in the Cambria County Prison. An additional $50,000 straight cash bail was added to his original $175,000 bail, police reported.
According to online court documents, in the case filed in November, High faces felony charges of corruption of minors and unlawful contact with minors along with a misdemeanor charge of indecent assault of a person less than 13 years of age. Those charges were waived to county court.