The Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office secured lengthy prison sentences for multiple defendants who pleaded guilty this week to sexual offenses involving children.

Judge Dennis Reinaker sentenced Brendon Tylor Wenditz, of East Donegal Township, to 17 to 34 years in state prison and Raul Ramos Jr., of Lancaster Township, to 10 to 20 years in state prison. Judge Merrill Spahn also sentenced Daniel Clair Work Jr., of Manor Township, to 15 years and six months to 31 years in state prison.

All three defendants pleaded guilty Tuesday. Though none of the offenses were related, they all involved the sexual exploitation of children.

“Our Special Victims Unit does important work delivering justice for our community’s most vulnerable population,” said District Attorney Heather Adams. “Significant sentences such as these send a strong message that preying on children will not be tolerated.”

BRENDON TYLOR WENDITZ

Investigators began looking into Wenditz in February 2024 after a Homeland Security Investigations tip indicated that he was actively soliciting inappropriate photos online from multiple minors between the ages of 13 and 17 years old.

Over the course of the next several days an undercover HSI agent began talking to Wenditz online, purporting to be a 13-year-old boy. During these conversations Wenditz solicited nude photographs of and engaged in sexually explicit conversations with what he believed was an underage juvenile.

Police arrested Wenditz at his home in the 200 block of Red Cedar Lane in March 2024.

Wenditz, 25, pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawful contact with a minor, corruption of minors and criminal use of a communication facility.

Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Brian Kundick filed the charges.

Assistant District Attorney Fritz Haverstick prosecuted the case.

RAUL RAMOS JR.

A CyberTip alerted police in March 2024 that Ramos had uploaded suspected child pornography on multiple social media sites. A search of Ramos’ cellphone uncovered 14 images and two videos depicting child pornography.

Additionally, the search of Ramos’ cellphone uncovered sexually explicit conversations with two juvenile victims, during which Ramos shared sexual images of himself. In one instance, Ramos admitted in one of the conversations that he masturbated while one of the juvenile victims was asleep in his bedroom.

One of the juvenile victims also told police Ramos had sexually assaulted them at his residence in the 100 block of Jennings Drive in late 2023. The victim was 15 years old at the time.

The second victim told police she was in Ramos’ bedroom when she turned around and realized Ramos had lowered his pants and was masturbating while taking photographs.

In a separate incident, two additional juvenile victims told police Ramos had sent them pictures of his genitals on social media for years. The victims were 12 and 13 years old when the offenses began.

The inappropriate pictures were sent to the victims “almost every night,” one of the victims told police. The pictures were also coupled with Ramos’ pleas for sex.

Ramos later sexually assaulted one of the victims.

Ramos, 23, pleaded guilty to a total of 25 offenses including involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a person less than 16 years of age, unlawful contact with a minor and statutory sexual assault, among other charges.

Manheim Township Police detectives Nicholas Fritz and Sarah Goss filed the charges.

Assistant District Attorney Fritz Haverstick prosecuted the case.

DANIEL CLAIR WORK JR.

Parole agents requested that police search Work’s home in the 1000 block of Hearthstone Road in July 2024 after finding child pornography there.

A search of Work’s cellphone uncovered a total of 14 videos and 357 images depicting nude children, indecent contact with children or children engaged in prohibited sexual acts.

Work, 45, pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual abuse of children and a single count of criminal use of a communication facility.

Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Lapp prosecuted the case.

Manor Township Police Officer Colleen Tatara filed the charges.