Resident at Tomorrows Hope faces multiple felony counts

Mahaffey allegedly possessed child pornagraphy

CLEARFIELD -- A resident of Tomorrows Hope in Coalport is facing multiple felony charges for possessing child pornography.

During a preliminary hearing in Clearfield County on Friday, 61 counts of child pornography against Thomas Bernard Mahaffey, 64, were held to court by District Judge James Glass. The case next passes onto the court of common pleas for further disposition.

Police say a supervisor at Tomorrows Hope related to state parole agents that during a search of the building in September, they located an "unclaimed cell phone." Later they reportedly received information that the phone belonged to Mahaffey.

After being questioned, Mahaffey admitted it belonged to him and it contained images that "would send him back to prison," according to the affidavit of probable cause. He stated that he obtained the images from the "dark web." In all, 61 images were found on the device.

Mahaffey is currently in state prison for violating his parole on a previous child pornography case from Elk County in 2015. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three to 10 years in state prison, according to online court documents.