Child pornography investigation leads to multiple rape charges for Lebanon man

Lebanon City Police announced Tuesday that they have filed numerous charges against 31-year-old Lebanon resident Irvin Groce after an investigation into child pornography led to allegations of sexual abuse.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, a Lebanon patrolman was dispatched to a house on the 100 block of South 9th Street at approximately 10:51 p.m. on Sept. 23 for a report of a male suspect in possession of child pornography.

The patrolman made contact with a woman who showed police her husband’s cellphone, which “contained numerous videos of children who were under the age of 18 and were engaging in prohibited sexual acts,” according to the affidavit.

The patrolman said he interviewed the husband, identified as Groce, who admitted that the cellphone containing the child pornography was his property. Groce is quoted in the affidavit as admitting he obtained the videos using the social media product WhatsApp.

Groce was placed under arrest. Police said in the affidavit that the videos and images on Groce’s phone depicted children as young as 2 years of age.

Police continued their investigation after Groce’s initial arrest and, the affidavit says, learned from Groce that he had owned the cellphone for the last six to eight years. The affidavit of probable cause notes that child pornography videos on the device dated back to 2015. Groce also showed police the group on WhatsApp where he had downloaded the child pornography, the affidavit says.

The next day, Lebanon police were visited by an individual who stated that their two children, aged 12 and 14, had reported being sexually assaulted by Groce. Both children told forensic investigators they had been sexually abused by Groce for years.

“Both victims provided these instances occurred on multiple occasions, and would occur when their (parent) was away, and the defendant was supposed to be supervising them,” said affiant Lt. Sean Buck in the court document. “Both victims stated that the defendant instructed them not to tell anyone.”

Groce faces more than two dozen felony charges including child pornography, rape of child, statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, aggravated indecent assault, and more. He was arraigned Monday in front of Magisterial District Judge Maria M. Dissinger and was remanded to Lebanon County Correctional Facility in lieu of bail, which was set at $750,000.

Groce is scheduled to next appear in court on Oct. 16 for a preliminary hearing in front of Judge Dissinger.