A former member of the “Altoona Pred Hunters,” a group dedicated to catching online predators, is now facing nearly 100 criminal charges for allegedly trafficking child sex abuse material. Forty-six-year-old James Stehley was arrested yesterday following an investigation sparked by a report from the social media platform Threads. In mid-December, the app flagged Stehley for using coded language—specifically the term “pizza”—to solicit and trade illicit images. Police discovered Stehley was engaged in an online sexual relationship with an individual he believed to be a 14-year-old girl. A search of Stehley’s home yielded an external hard drive, seven flash drives, and 78 videos of child sex abuse. During his arrest, Stehley—who was well-known to local police through his previous vigilante work— allegedly became combative and resisted officers. Stehley is currently being held at the Blair County Prison after failing to post $400,000 bail. He faces dozens of felony counts related to child sex abuse material, and online trafficking.
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