HARRISBURG - A state trooper who thought he was chatting with a 13-year-old girl sent her a webcam video of him dancing in the nude, then urged her to delete any record of their conversation and conceal it from her mother, authorities said Thursday after charging him with crimes.
Douglas Nick Sversko, 43, of Lewisburg, was the first trooper to be arrested by the attorney general's Child Predator Unit since it was created in January 2005, said spokesman Nils Frederiksen.
Sversko, who state police said has been suspended without pay, was arrested Wednesday and charged with unlawful contact with a minor and criminal use of a computer. He is free on $100,000 bail, officials said. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Feb. 23.
Acting Attorney General Bill Ryan said executed a search warrant at Sversko's home and seized three computers, a webcam and various data storage devices, which will be analyzed by the attorney general's computer forensics unit as part of the ongoing investigation.
Sversko didn't immediately respond to a message left at what was believed to be his home telephone number.
It was unclear whether he had an attorney.
Sversko had worked out of the state police station in Milton and has been on the force since 1993. Authorities said he used an Internet chat room to approach an agent pretending to be a teenage girl.
"After complimenting the agent about her profile photo and acknowledging her age, Sversko allegedly indicated that he was not wearing any clothing, stating, 'naked is comfy,' and, 'I am not afraid to tell you that I'm naked and attracted to you,'" the attorney general's office said.
After sending the video of his dancing, he asked the agent whether she had been sexually aroused and advised her to delete the conversation from her computer, police said.
"We don't really want mom to read about this," he told her, according to the attorney general's office said.
Keep kids safe
Ryan urged parents to monitor their children's activities online, especially in cases when they may be approached by strangers.
"Internet predators often attempt to send sexually explicit photos or videos during their initial online encounters," he said. "Parents and other adults should encourage children to quickly report inappropriate contact, along with any other online communication that makes them feel uncomfortable or appears suspicious."
Internet safety guidelines can be found in the "Operation Safe Surf" and "Just for Kids" sections of the attorney general's website, www.attorneygeneral.gov.
