Parkesburg, Pennsylvania, man arrested, charged with making and sharing child sexual abuse material, DA says
A Chester County, Pennsylvania, man was arrested for allegedly possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material.
John Lymberis, 57, of Parkesburg, is accused of using the Kik messaging app to post and exchange images of children, including some that used artificial intelligence to create sexualized depictions of minors, according to a news release from Chester County District Attorney Christopher de Barrena-Sarobe's office.
Property records show that Lymberis is the owner of Harry's Hotdogs, a bar and restaurant on Lincoln Highway in Sadsburyville, Chester County.
Detectives in the county got a tip in 2024 from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children via an internet crimes task force in Delaware County that led to Lymberis, and investigators found devices in his home that contained child sexual assault material.
Lymberis allegedly provided the names and ages of some of the children in the images he shared in chat rooms, according to a criminal complaint. In one of the chats, the complaint says, Lymberis identified himself and claimed that he "groomed" a teenager now in her 20s who lives in a different state and still sends photos of herself to him.
Police interviewed the parents of one of the teenage girls in the photos found on Lymberis' phone. The parents told police Lymberis had the original image, which showed a mother and her daughter at an event where he was present. Lymberis used AI to edit the image to remove their clothes without their knowledge or permission, the criminal complaint says.
Lymberis now faces 24 charges related to child pornography, court documents show.
In a letter to families, Pope John Paul II Regional Catholic Elementary School Principal Patty Tarquinio said Lymberis is a parent of a student. The school is in touch with law enforcement and is cooperating with the investigation, the letter says. All staff and volunteers undergo criminal background checks and child abuse clearances, Tarquinio wrote.
Lymberis was arraigned and released on bail. His preliminary hearing is slated for June 8.
Police ask anyone with information about this case to call 610-344-6866. If you're concerned about a child's safety, call 911 or Childline at 1-800-932-0313.