A former Bucks County police officer and fire company president has been arrested and accused of possessing and distributing child pornography. The suspect allegedly admitted to receiving child sex abuse material through messaging apps.
A former Bucks County police officer and fire company president who was previously charged with corruption of minors in the 1980s and theft in 2018 is now accused of posting a sexually explicit photo of an underage girl online.
Gary Margerum, 67, of Levittown, Pennsylvania, is charged with child pornography and other related offenses.
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WATCH HEREThe investigation began when detectives with the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office received a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) reporting a user on the instant messaging app Kik saved, shared or uploaded child sexual abuse material in December 2024. Investigators determined Margerum was the suspected user.
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On April 4, 2025, officials executed a search warrant at Margerum’s home in Levittown. While being interviewed by investigators, Margerum admitted to accessing, receiving, and disseminating child pornography, according to the criminal complaint. He also allegedly admitted to sharing the child sexual abuse material on Kik and investigators found the image – which dated back to January 2023 – while accessing his iPhone, officials said.
Investigators continue to search through Margerum’s electronic devices for other potential child pornography images.
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Margerum was arrested on April 4 and is being held in custody in Bucks County after failing to post bail. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 16, 2025.
According to Levittown Now, Margerum was a former police officer in Tullytown, Pennsylvania, as well as the president of the Falls Township Fire Company.
Court records show Margerum was previously charged with theft in 2018 as well as corruption of minors, official oppression and indecent exposure back in 1988. Levittown Now reports the charges in 1988 stem from an incident in which he kissed and fondled a 15-year-old girl, for which he was sentenced to probation and community service. The incident resurfaced in 2016 when Margerum was the president of the Falls Township Fire Company and he resigned from the position, Levittown Now reports. Then in 2018, Margerum and another former fire company official were accused of stealing from the fire company.
Online court documents don’t list an attorney who could speak on Margerum's behalf.
