A church official from Illinois, Michael William Mohr, was arrested on Wednesday and charged with producing child pornography. Mohr, 54, is the president of the Central Illinois District of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. He appeared in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on Thursday and will remain in jail until his trial after waiving his right to a detention hearing.
According to an affidavit supporting the complaint, law enforcement conducted a court-approved search of Mohr’s home in Springfield and found storage devices containing videos of three juveniles in a bathroom. Another search at a residence used by Mohr in Vandalia revealed hidden cameras disguised as a wall clock and a Bluetooth speaker. The investigation began after one of the juveniles reported to the Vandalia Police Department that he discovered a camera disguised as an electronic device charger in a hotel bathroom. The juvenile also reported that Mohr stood above him and masturbated.
The criminal complaint is only an accusation, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Authorities have asked anyone with information about the case to contact the FBI through tips.fbi.gov or by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324).
The investigation involved FBI St. Louis, St. Louis County Police, FBI Springfield (Illinois), and the Vandalia Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case.
“This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice,” according to information provided by officials. “Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.” More information can be found at www.justice.gov/psc.
