Catholic priest is charged with 16 counts of child porn and meth possession after police received an anonymous tip

Wednesday, January 10, 2018
By Paul Martin

Gerald R. Hechenberger, 54, charged with child porn on Tuesday near St. Louis
Catholic priest is associate pastor at three parishes in southern Illinois
Dawn raid on rectory recovered porn of kids under 13 and meth, cops say

By KEITH GRIFFITH
DAILYMAIL.COM
10 January 2018

A Catholic priest faces charges of child pornography and possession of methamphetamine after an anonymous tipster alerted police.

Gerald R. Hechenberger, 54, was arrested after a dawn police raid Monday morning on the rectory of the Holy Childhood of Jesus parish in Mascoutah, Illinois, a town 30 miles east of St. Louis.

He is charged with eight counts each of possession and dissemination of porn depicting a child under 13, and one count of possessing meth under five grams.

Hechenberger is an associate pastor at Holy Childhood, as well as at nearby parishes St. Pancratius Parish in Fayetteville and St. Liborius Parish in St. Libory.

Detectives in the Belleville Police Department initiated the investigation into Hechenbacher several weeks ago after receiving an online tip through the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force reporting line.

Investigators built the case through ‘multiple search warrants, online investigative techniques, and surveillance details’, the department said in a statement.

The investigation culminated in a raid on Holy Childhood on Monday at 7am, with cops seizing multiple devices.

Police confirmed that Hechenbacher was the only person under investigation at the church.

Parents of students at the parish’s attached Catholic primary school received an email from Principal Claudia Dougherty on Monday morning, the Belleville News-Democrat reported.

‘Good morning, Father Jerry is under investigation. We will share more information when we have it. Your children are safe and sound — primary children are enjoying lunch! Blessings, Claudia,’ the email read.

It is unknown whether Hechenbacher produced any of the alleged child porn himself, or whether he had any inappropriate contact with parish members or students.

‘Although Belleville Police do not have knowledge of any additional victims, we release this information and encourage parents to speak to their children if they had any contact with Hechenberger,’ police said in a statement.

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