Crime & Safety
Library Reacts to Page's Child Porn Charges
Edward Orenchuk, III has been banned from the library facility and premises until the matter is resolved, according to statement made by board of trustees Thursday.
After his arrest stemming from child pornography charges, part-time page Edward Orenchuk, III has been banned from the Garden City Public Library facility and premises until further notice, according to a statement made by the library board.
Trustees said they became aware of Orenchuk's arrest Wednesday afternoon.
"He has since been removed from the work schedule and has been banned from the library facility and premises until this matter is resolved," the statement read.
The Nassau County district attorney's office charged the 23-year-old with multiple felonies for possessing images of child pornography and making those images available to others via the Internet, according to district attorney Kathleen Rice said.
During August and September 2012, DA investigators witnessed Orenchuk making multiple images of child pornography available over the Internet for download by other people, Rice said. Investigators tracked the source of those images to a Wheeler Avenue residence in E. Garden City, according to the district attorney's office.
Rice said Orenchuk implicated himself during the execution of a search warrant at that home this morning, indicating that he had hundreds of images on his personal computer. The images contain children as young as five years old, Rice said.
Orenchuk, who also serves as an assistant scout master with Boy Scout Troop #243 in Garden City, was hired in July 2005 as a page, according to trustees, and during his tenure has served the library without incident.
His duties were operational and included the shelving, organizing and transporting of books and other library materials, setup and cleaning of activity areas and required minimal contact with patrons, according to the board's statement.
"To our knowledge no library computers or equipment were used by Mr. Orenchuk regarding the allegations against him," the statement read. "The Garden City Public Library abides by CIPA (Child Internet Protection Act), uses a filtering software program called Patronus and prides itself on its strict filtering policy."
Orenchuk was arraigned Thursday before Judge Sondra Pardes. Bail was set at $400,000 bond or $100,000 cash and he is due back in court on Dec. 17. He faces up to seven years in prison if convicted.
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