Teen testifies as first of four Centre County men accused in child sex abuse case has hearing
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- Judge advances 11 felony counts against Michael H. Woomer, of Centre County.
- Prosecutors allege Woomer and three men filmed trafficked teens in a basement.
- Investigators review thousands of images; probe seeks witnesses and leads.
A district judge ruled Wednesday that prosecutors presented enough evidence to continue with their case against a Centre County man accused of having sex with an underage teenager who was being trafficked.
Michael H. Woomer, 66, of Taylor Township, saw 11 felony charges related to human trafficking and child sexual abuse move forward at the end of his preliminary hearing, during which his accuser testified.
He remains incarcerated at the Centre County Correctional Facility, though District Judge Don Hahn reduced his bail to $2 million and set other conditions should he be released. Bail had previously been denied.
“It’s going to be an interesting case,” Hahn said after announcing his decision.
Centre County prosecutors have alleged Woomer was one of four men who recorded the sexual abuse and exploitation of teenage girls in the basement of a Samuel Friday’s home in Taylor Township.
Woomer’s accuser testified she lived with Friday at different times during the past three years, including as recently as the beginning of this year. She testified she was placed in the home by children and youth services.
It was not clear from her testimony whether she was placed there by Centre, Blair or another county’s children and youth services. Centre County First Assistant District Attorney Joshua Andrews also declined to say. Friday’s home is near the Centre and Blair county line.
Woomer, she testified, did not ask how old she was before the two had recorded sex and paid her $50 each of the roughly five times they had intercourse.
“Not really,” she testified when asked if Woomer talked to her.
She had the same response when asked if anyone forced her to engage in the acts, though she later testified she “didn’t know what would happen if I didn’t do it.”
Andrews told reporters Friday and the teen’s mother have been “in each other’s lives for a long time,” though the nature of their relationship is still being investigated.
“I wouldn’t have done them if I didn’t feel pressured,” she testified.
In response to questions from defense attorney Tom Dickey, the now 18-year-old testified Friday told Woomer she was in her 20s. Dickey unsuccessfully argued for the charges to be dismissed, saying Woomer never knowingly recorded a child.
Andrews pushed back, arguing Woomer’s alleged actions were reckless.
“He was disregarding a risk that she was under the age of 18,” Andrews told Hahn. “... He simply did not care how old she was.”
Friday, 67, of Taylor Township, and Morris W. Reese, 64, of Blair County, each have a preliminary hearing scheduled for Jan. 7. James S. Kobuck, 61, of Blair County, waived his preliminary hearing Wednesday. All are incarcerated at the Centre County jail.
The state police at Rockview investigation is ongoing. Andrews told reporters after the hearing that investigators are more than halfway complete with their review of electronic images found in Friday’s home. VHS tapes and hundreds of photographs have not yet been reviewed.
They’ve spent the past month combing through thousands of images depicting child sexual abuse and interviewing accusers to discover a complete picture of what happened in the basement.
Sexually explicit videos and photographs found in the home showed all four men were involved, police wrote in an earlier affidavit. Andrews described the basement Wednesday as a “sex studio,” one that was fitted with a bed, provocative outfits, a wall-mounted camera and sex toys.
During an interview after his arrest, police said Friday admitted to taking nude photographs of an underage teen and that he had some “sexual involvement” with her. No statements from the other men appeared in complaints against them.
Investigators believe the men have brought underage teens to Friday’s basement for sexual conduct since the 1990s, Andrews previously said. Most of the girls are thought to be from neighboring Blair County. Friday’s home in Taylor Township is near the county line.
Investigators have asked the public for assistance in the investigation. Those with information were asked to contact either trooper Jonathan Hodges at 814-355-7545 or county detective John Aston at 814-355-6735.
This story was originally published December 17, 2025 at 2:43 PM.