New Castle man who unsuccessfully ran for state House charged with sex offenses

A New Castle man who unsuccessfully ran a campaign for the Pennsylvania House is now the focus of a grand jury indictment, charged with sex offenses. 

Justin Byers most recently unsuccessfully tried to run for an open state representative position in the primary and he also unsuccessfully ran for an open spot on the New Castle school board. KDKA confirmed he's now banned from all property owned by the New Castle Area School District.

Court documents show the grand jury charged him in early August and it was just unsealed in federal court. He's in jail now because prosecutors deem him a flight risk and say he's a danger to the community.

Sources tell KDKA-TV he's accused of having sexual pictures of children under the age of 12 after law enforcement seized two phones and two laptops from his home. Sources say in 2024, while a senior at New Castle High School, he worked as a student helper in a district elementary school.

KDKA reached out to the FBI, which confirmed agents authorized search warrants in connection "with an investigation into child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and the use of artificial intelligence."

Byers will have a detention hearing on Friday and be appointed a federal public defender.