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Store owner and wife accused of child porn

By Staff | May 12, 2009

HUGHESVILLE – Criminal problems continue to mount for the owner of Barto’s Tire and Auto Center who was arrested May 6 – along with his wife – on felony charges of allegedly engaging in inappropriate acts with minors for sexual exploitation, according to state police.

Gregory A. Barto, 44, of 2134 Route 405, Muncy Creek Township, and Amber L. Barto, 31, of the same address, were charged with sexual abuse of children while the husband also was charged with sexual exploitation of children and dissemination of pictures showing minors “engaging in a prohibited sexual act,” Trooper Douglas N. Sversko said in court papers.

Nearly 11 months ago, while serving search warrants at the couple’s home and their business at 2100 Route 405, troopers seized “pornographic audio-video recordings of Greg and Amber Barto (which showed the couple) engaged in sexual activity with a variety of young girls.”

Police allege the couple filmed a minor “engaged in a prohibitive act.” Investigators interviewed one of the girls and learned that she was under 18 at the time of video recording, Sversko said.

According to an affidavit filed by Sversko, Gregory Barto told the minor that he “possessed pornographic videos that his wife recorded” showing him and another man having sex with girls.”

The search warrants were executed last June 11, but it’s unknown why Sversko waited until Wednesday to file charges. Both the husband and wife were charged with possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

In a separate criminal complaint, state police also have charged Gregory Barto with allegedly selling marijuana to a confidential informant on three occasions near his business in the township between Feb. 10 and Tuesday. The alleged sales ranged from $375 to $900, police said.

In this case, Barto has been charged with three counts each of possession with intent to deliver marijuana, delivery of marijuana and possession of marijuana.

He and his wife were arraigned before District Judge C. Roger McRae. The husband was released on $75,000 bail while the wife is free on $35,000 bail.

Gregory Barto was arrested last year on charges of allegedly having inappropriate contact with with a teenage girl at his business in early June. In another case, he was charged with corrupting the morals of a minor for allegedly offering to show pornographic material to a girl. The disposition of those cases were not known Wednesday night.