A 58-year-old Bucks County man who authorities called a “serial child rapist” is charged with sexually abusing five children and may have assaulted many more, Falls Township police said.
William Charles Thomas, a trailer-park handyman from the 1600 block of Bristol Pike in Morrisville, was arraigned Friday before District Judge William Benz on charges of possession of child pornography and dissemination of photos and films depicting child sex acts, according to court records.
Bail was set at 10 percent of $150,000 and he was sent to Bucks County jail, where he remained Monday morning.
He is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday morning before District Judge Jan Vislosky on additional crimes: five counts of child rape and 46 related offenses, according to court records.
Police allege he assaulted children dating to the 1970s, but the specific charges date from the 1990s until last Thursday in Falls Township and Morrisville and involved five victims younger than 13, authorities said.
Thomas allegedly wrote on plywood, drywall and a shed’s doors about sexual assaults on children, at times identifying the victims by name and other specifics, police said.
The plywood was found in a vacant home where Thomas was doing renovation work at the Midway Village Trailer Park, where he lived, police said. A manager in November turned over the plywood to police, launching the investigation, police said.
The drywall — which was later discarded — and a homemade child sex doll were found in 2010 and reported to authorities by a contractor working on Thomas’ previous home in the first block of Pleasant Lane in Levittown, which is within Falls Township, police said. The contractor was interviewed again for the current investigation, police said.
When Thomas’ home was searched on Thursday, he had about 1,000 photos and other pictures of naked children on his bedroom’s walls and 500 to 1,000 pairs of girls’ underwear, some of which was displayed above his bed, police said after a warrant was served.
Some of the writings found depicted assaults by Thomas in the 1970s on children as young as 3, according to police.
A news conference was planned Monday by the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office and township police are asking other victims or anyone with knowledge of the crimes to come forward.
Authorities said people can contact Falls Township Sgt. Christopher Clark at 215-302-3315 or at clarkpd@fallstwp.com; or Bucks County Detective Lt. Robert Gorman at 215-340-8141 or at rmgorman@buckscounty.org.
Preliminary hearings are tentatively scheduled Feb. 15 in Vislosky’s court.
Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
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