New child porn charges added against North Huntingdon man accused of child rape

A North Huntingdon man arrested last October on multiple charges of raping and sexually abusing a girl was arrested again Monday on 26 new child pornography-related charges.

John W. Wilbanks, 39, was arraigned before District Judge Joseph DeMarchis on multiple counts of child pornography, criminal use of a communication facility, filming and photographing sex acts involving a minor, possession of obscene materials and utilizing a minor to produce child pornography. The charges were filed by county Det. John Manderino.

The new charges arose after North Huntingdon Police Det. Tom Harris and Manderino confiscated Wilbanks’ cellphone Oct. 29 after his arrest and forwarded it to the state Attorney General’s Office for forensic analysis.

Manderino reported that the analysis revealed 398 pornographic photographs involving minors, three videos created throughout 2019, and multiple text messages between Wilbanks and minors.

In some of the videos, Manderino said the male adult participant, believed to be Wilbanks, is wearing a silver wedding ring that investigators said is identical to the wedding ring Wilbanks was wearing in prison, where he was being held on $150,000 bond while awaiting trial.

Policed seized the ring in November.

“The silver ring is viewed in another pornographic image depicting a hand holding a snake. John Wilbanks is known to raise and sell snakes,” Manderino wrote in court documents.

Manderino said the face of the suspect in the pornographic videos is not shown. Police are attempting to identify the minors.

Manderino said in court documents that police have been monitoring his telephone calls to relatives from prison.

In one call, a relative asks him why police would take his wedding ring.

“It’s a sealed warrant … so I’m not really sure. But if I were to guess, it’s to identify the videos. I’m sorry,” Manderino quoted Wilbanks saying in one recorded telephone conversation.

Township police arrested Wilbanks for rape, statutory sexual assault, corruption of minors and endangering the welfare of children after the children’s bureau said a girl made a complaint through the state child abuse hotline, ChildLine, last fall. She reported to investigators that the sexual assaults began about 2013.

On Monday, DeMarchis remanded Wilbanks to the county prison without potential bond, saying in court documents that he is a potential danger to the community. A preliminary hearing will be scheduled before District Judge Wayne Gongaware.