School janitor from Baldwin-Whitehall district taken into custody for alleged possession of child pornography
In recent news, there is currently no publicly known, reliable information connecting a person named Michael Siar to any prominent institution that could be relevant to his profession or a potential arrest. It is possible that the name may be incomplete, misspelled, or associated with a small circle of acquaintances, thus resulting in limited media coverage and official records.
However, a significant development has taken place in the case of Michael Siar, a school custodian at Baldwin-Whitehall. On unspecified charges of child pornography, Siar was arrested on 23 counts. It is noteworthy that no Baldwin-Whitehall School District student was identified as a victim in this incident.
The investigation into Siar was conducted by the Whitehall police and FBI Pittsburgh's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. The photos, which were obtained through Kik and social media apps like Instagram and TikTok, led to the search warrant executed at Siar's home in May, seizing several electronic devices with multiple images of child sexual abuse material.
Dr. Randal Lutz, the superintendent, stated there were no red flags in Siar's employment papers. Siar was placed on administrative leave the day the search warrant was executed and had no access to any Baldwin-Whitehall school facilities during the investigation.
The investigation found no connection between Siar's employment and the child pornography images. Siar was arrested on additional 22 counts of possession of child pornography and 3 counts of criminal use of a communication facility.
It is important to note that Siar's employment with the Baldwin-Whitehall school district is being terminated, pending a school board vote. Madeline Bartos, a digital web producer for KDKA who has worked with the station since 2019, reported on the latest updates in this ongoing case.
The investigation into Siar began in April after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received 13 cyber tips about him. During the four-month forensic examination, they looked at 10 phones, a tablet, and a camera. Whitehall Police Chief Jason Gagorik stated that they have not found a connection between Siar's employment with the images.
As the investigation continues, we will keep you updated on any new developments regarding Michael Siar and his case. We encourage anyone with further information or details about this matter to come forward to aid in the ongoing investigation.
