Dayhoff Soundtrack: A local radio personality accused of Internet crime has waived a preliminary hearing.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

A local radio personality accused of Internet crime has waived a preliminary hearing.

The Pennsylvania Attorney General Corbett has announced arrest of six Internet predators throughout Pennsylvania, including a Westminster local radio personality.

April 20, 2010 by Kevin Dayhoff

A part-time radio sports announcer in Westminster, Bryan Neal McLean, waived his right to a preliminary hearing last Friday, according to a spokesperson for the Magisterial District Judge in Hanover where the hearing was to have taken place.

The court spokesperson said that he waived the hearing last Wednesday and that the case will now proceed to the “York County court system for a trial date.” No word yet as to when that trial date has been set.

McLean, 44, is a graduate of Westminster High School and received his degree in mass communications from then-Towson State College in 1989, according to his biography on the radio website. He has done sports play-by-play for WTTR since 1987, covering high school and college basketball and football games and has also done remote broadcasts.

The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office charged McLean on March 18, according to court records, for incidents which occurred throughout the second half of 2009 when it is alleged that he exposed himself to special agents Jessica Eger and Lisa Ceh, both with the Child Predator Unit.

He is facing charges of unlawful contact with a minor stemming from an allegation that he exposed himself to an undercover agent who was working for the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General and posing as a minor online.

McLean is charged with five counts of unlawful contact with a minor and one count for criminal use of a communication facility, for using his computer for the contact, according to court documents.

According to the charges, McLean, under the screen name “mdfunguy38,” sent special agent Ceh access to his Web cam on July 28 and thereupon exposed himself and masturbated, according to the criminal complaint. Court documents state that Ceh was working undercover as a 13-year-old girl at the time.

Then on Aug. 3, using another instant message program and the screen name listed as “bryan mclean,” he exposed himself and masturbated for Eger, who also posed as a 13-year-old girl, according to court documents.

Similar exposures are also alleged to have taken place on Aug. 25 and 27, Sept. 10 and Oct. 13.

“Wanna see it?” he asked on Aug. 25. On Aug. 27, he exposed himself again on the Web cam, court documents state.

Court documents also allege that during a video chat Sept. 10, “mdfunguy38” removed his shirt and the agent asked “so u want me to just watch?” “Yeah if its ok,” he typed before exposing himself.

Then Nov. 23, court records show, “mdfunguy38” asked for the age of the girl, and the agent responded “13.” He asked for photos and said “want me to turn on cam?”

He then said he had to make a phone call and the chat ended, according to court documents.

Meanwhile, a Monday press release from the Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett, announced the recent arrest of six suspected Internet predators across Pennsylvania and urged “parents to make online safety part of their spring and summer family discussions.”

“Now, more than ever, it is important for families to discuss Internet safety, as warmer weather brings changes in school schedules and family activities,” Corbett said.

“As spring quickly gives way to summer vacation season, online predators are hoping that more teens will be home alone for longer periods of time and may be spending more time on-line chatting with their friends, playing games or just exploring the Internet…

“We know that spring and summer trigger a jump in the number of incidents involving Internet predators,” Corbett said.

“Last year, our Child Predator Unit arrested 32 people during the spring and summer months, including men from every corner of Pennsylvania and from as far away as Texas, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Maryland, New Jersey and Ohio, all trying to use the Internet to sexually victimize children.”

Corbett said that circumstances involved in recent arrests across the state highlight the threat posed by online predators and the many different ways they operate.

In each of these recent cases, suspects communicated with undercover agents from the Child Predator Unit who were using the online profiles of 13 and 14-year old girls.

McLean will be prosecuted by Deputy Attorney General Christopher Jones of the Attorney General’s Child Predator Unit, according to the press release.

Corbett said in the release that all of the suspects are charged with various counts of unlawful contact with a minor and criminal use of a computer, felony charges which are punishable by up to seven years in prison and $15,000 fines.

#####

*****