Massapequa man charged in lewd photo case

A Massapequa man was arrested Saturday after police found two lewd photographs of young girls on his computer flash drive, Nassau police said.

Richard Stacel, 44, of 74 Jerusalem Ave., was charged with two counts of possession of material showing sexual performance by a child, tampering with physical evidence and unlawful surveillance, police said.

The charges were the result of an investigation into Stacel that police said began after an off-duty Nassau County police officer saw him taking unauthorized photos of an 8-year-old girl at a North Massapequa ice cream parlor on July 12 and arrested him.

At the time, Stacel was charged with endangering the welfare of a child and fourth-degree possession of a dangerous weapon after police found a stun gun in the center console of his car, police said. Those charges are pending.

Stacel was arraigned on the new charges Saturday in First District Court Hempstead. Bail information was not immediately available.