PSP Task Force Results in Several Arrests for Child Exploitive Material
Coudersport, Pa. — The Pennsylvania State Police Northeast Computer Crime Task Force announced the results of an Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) operation conducted Oct. 29‑Nov. 4, 2026 in Bradford and Potter Counties. The multi‑agency effort, which included FBI agents, Delaware County intelligence officers, Coudersport Borough Police, Athens Borough Police, and PSP troopers from Coudersport and Towanda, executed three residential search warrants.
The operation led to the arrest of three men:
- Brian Scott Nicholls, a resident of Leroy, Pa.
- Aaron Gary Hovan, a resident of Athens, Pa.
- Logan Matthew Benson, a resident of Coudersport, Pa.
Hovan faces thirty counts of felony 2 sexual abuse of children (possession) and thirty counts of felony 3 sexual abuse of children (possession), each charged under Title 18 § 6312(d). He was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Larry J. Hurley, who set bail at $250,000. Hovan was remanded to Bradford County Prison.
Nicholls was charged with thirteen counts of felony 3 sexual abuse of children (possession) under Title 18 § 6312(d) and one count of felony 3 criminal use of a communication facility under Title 18 § 7512(a). He also appeared before Judge Hurley, received a $250,000 bail, and was remanded to Bradford County Prison.
Benson was charged with ten counts of felony 2 sexual abuse of children (possession) and two counts of felony 3 sexual abuse of children (possession), all under Title 18 § 6312(d), plus one count of felony 3 criminal use of a communication facility under Title 18 § 7512(a). He was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Bryan D. Phelps, who set bail at $250,000, and was remanded to Potter County Prison.
The arrests were made possible through collaboration with the Bradford and Potter County District Attorney’s Offices and the broader ICAC network, which includes more than 4,500 federal, state and local agencies. The task force emphasized that all defendants are presumed innocent pending trial.
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