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Former religious ed. director charged with 15 counts of having child porn
WISN
[with video] A former religious education director from Sheboygan County has been charged with 15 counts of possessing child pornography. Calvin Gideon, 53, of Plymouth, was charged Friday with multiple counts of having photos or videos of children performing sex acts. Forensic investigators determined that downloads of suspected pornographic files were taking place at Gideon's home in Plymouth. "I don't understand how adults can do this to kids. I just don't understand this,” Sheboygan County District Attorney Joe DeCecco said. According to the complaint, Gideon denied any knowledge of the files, stating that he was a youth pastor at St. John the Baptist Church and found pornography disgusting. He told police he had recently been fired from his job because of his drinking. Officials with the Archdiocese of Milwaukee said Gideon served as the Director of Religious Education for the parish. Court documents state that Gideon admitted to the downloads after being presented with evidence from the forensic investigators. According to the complaint, he told police he downloaded the videos and photos in Plymouth and then transferred them to a laptop in Sturgeon Bay. "When he was presented with the forensic evidence showing he had been accessing child porn files, he admitted for about 10 years he'd been collecting child porn,” DeCecco said. Officers seized a laptop and several flash drives at the Sturgeon Bay address, on which police found photos and videos of suspected child pornography. Investigators said the subjects appear to be between 4-11 years old. Prosecutors said there is currently no indication that the kids in the pictures and videos are from the church Gideon worked at. Gideon faces up to 25 years in prison on each of the 15 felony counts against him. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Oct. 7.
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