Pastor Admits to Child Porn Charges

WTAM
February 22, 2012

http://www.wtam.com/cc-common/news/sections/newsarticle.html?feed=122520&article=9798381

More than a year after his arrest, a minister from Olmsted Falls is pleading guilty to more than 80 counts of child porn related charges.

Reverend Dr. Mark Griggs was rounded up in "Operation Lake Effect", a massive child porn sting in December of 2010. Griggs was the pastor at Saint Andrew's Presbyterian Church.

Griggs plead guilty Wednesday to 43 counts of Pandering Sexually Oriented Matter Involving a Minor, 40 counts of Illegal Use of a Minor in Nudity-Oriented Material, and 1 count of Possessing Criminal Tools.

Griggs was originally charged in a 112 count indictment that included downloading, trading, and possessing child pornography. Between July 2008 and November 2010, Griggs traded child pornography over the internet from his house and church. Prosecutors said Griggs downloaded and saved images of sexually abused children to his computer that depicted children being raped in various ways.

Griggs was indicted in the sting along with 30 other defendants. He will be sentenced by Judge Ronald Suster on March 26th.

Griggs faces a maximum of 345 years in prison.