Daniel Reed, 51, former Assistant Director of Central Pennsylvania Youth Ministries (CPYM), is facing federal charges of attempted production of child pornography, production of child pornography, and possession of child pornography. Reed allegedly used hidden cameras to secretly record minors showering in a bathroom at the ministry’s facility in Juniata County, Pennsylvania, which hosted children between the ages of 10 and 18.
Reed was fired in December 2024 after a former participant came forward reporting that he had groomed her into a sexual relationship as a teenager. Following his termination, Reed refused to allow CPYM’s Executive Director, Shirey Little, to look through his laptop or give him access to the facility’s security system. The following month, a staff member, Justin Berkheimer, discovered a peephole in a second-floor closet, which looked directly into the facility’s only shower-equipped bathroom.
Two-Way Mirror and Hidden Camera Setup
Inside the bathroom constructed around 2023, which Reed had encouraged to be built, officers found a 12″ x 12″ mirror mounted five to six feet from the shower. From the utility closet behind it, they discovered a 2″ x 3″ hole exposing the mirror’s back. The mirror was two-way, allowing someone in the closet to see into the bathroom. Investigators also found an unsecured outlet box that appeared capable of powering a recording device. While no camera was found inside the closet at the time of the search, investigators later recovered hidden-camera images taken from that same bathroom, confirming that a recording device had been used at some point.
According to the criminal complaint, Little told Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Chad Snook “that the utility closet was always locked and did not know why; he did not have a key to the utility closet and did not know where a key would be.” The upstairs portion of the facility—including the bathroom and utility closet—”was within Reed’s primary domain as head of the youth program.”
Trooper Snook found a key to the utility closet inside Reed’s desk, which was in an office “directly across from the bathroom” and adjacent to the closet.
Devices Seized, Evidence Recovered
A search of Reed’s home uncovered multiple electronics, including a hard drive, cameras, MacBooks, and an iPhone.
Reed’s phone revealed internet searches for terms including “showerhead hidden camera,” “camera behind mirror,” “is my wifi camera footage safe,” “Can manufacturers view my footage when on Wifi,” “wall outlet surge protective spy camera,” and “phone charger camera.”
On May 30, 2023, Reed sent a text to a group that included two 16-year-old girls, encouraging them to “bring a change of clothes so ya don’t stink like a river all night…we have showers at our house and the center. Cya at the center!”
Explicit images of the same girls, dated that same day, were recovered and appeared to have been taken from a hidden camera. Additional images from other bathrooms and bedrooms also appeared to have been captured using hidden cameras.
Furthermore, a hard drive contained multiple images of minors undressing or exiting the shower in the youth ministry facility. The images appeared to have been cropped and edited, suggesting they were deliberately preserved and manipulated.
Reed’s case is expected to go before a grand jury in the coming weeks, according to WNEP.
Authorities believe there may be more potential victims. If you have any information related to this case, please contact the FBI Philadelphia Office at (215) 418-4000.
An Earlier Incident
A year and a half before Reed was fired, Berkheimer discovered a “wall-plugin” camera inserted into an outlet in the same second-floor bathroom. When confronted, Reed initially denied knowing anything about it. The next day, he admitted the camera was his, but claimed it had been used for office security and that someone must have mistaken it for a phone charger and moved it into the bathroom.
Despite this alarming discovery in a facility that served children, there is no indication the incident was ever reported to leadership, formally documented, or investigated at the time. Reed remained in his leadership position and continued to have unrestricted access to the upstairs floor.
Shirey Little, on behalf of CPYM, wrote in a public statement, “As a ministry, our utmost concern is for the safety and well-being of the students in our care.” In youth and religious organizations, leaders have a duty to ensure that concerns are surfaced, taken seriously, and followed by meaningful action. In this instance, the safeguards that should have protected children were either absent or ignored. Whether due to a lack of reporting, institutional blind spots, or misplaced trust, the opportunity to intervene came too late, and the consequences were devastating.
We Help Survivors Seek Justice
This case raises serious concerns about how Daniel Reed retained unsupervised access to children. Too often in religious settings, power goes unchecked, and serious concerns are minimized or dismissed. The instinct to protect reputations or defer to authority can create a culture where abuse is hidden and accountability is delayed, leaving children vulnerable.
When these institutions fail to act, they may be held legally responsible for the harm that follows.
If you or someone you love was abused by Daniel Reed or secretly filmed at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ministries, you are not alone.
Andreozzi and Foote offers free, confidential consultations to survivors and their families. Our attorneys are committed to helping you understand your legal rights and options under civil law.
Contact us today by filling out a form or emailing us at info@vca.law.
