Pennsylvania State Sen. Michael Folmer Resigns After Being Charged With Possession of Child Pornography

Pennsylvania state Sen. Michael Folmer (R) has resigned after he was charged with possession of child pornography on Tuesday, Senate leaders confirmed in a statement on Wednesday. “We are sickened and disturbed by the charges brought against Mike Folmer yesterday,” reads the statement from Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati and Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman. “We have reviewed the criminal complaint and spoke with Mike Folmer early this morning to insist on his resignation from the Senate. We are in receipt of his letter of resignation and the 48th Senatorial District seat is now vacant.”

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said in a press release that the blogging website Tumblr discovered a user had uploaded an image of child pornography onto its application. A subsequent investigation into the image led officials to Folmer’s home in Lebanon, Penn. According to Shapiro, investigators found images of child pornography on Folmer’s phone after executing a search warrant. He was arraigned Tuesday night and posted $25,000 bail, according to a court official. Folmer was first elected to the state Senate in 2006.