CINCINNATI (OH)
WLWT - NBC 5 [Cincinnati OH]
August 8, 2024
By Matthew Dietz
A man who was previously studying to be a priest at a Cincinnati seminary took a plea deal on Thursday for having child sex abuse material.
According to the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, 28-year-old Broderick Witt was arrested and charged with eight counts of pandering sexually oriented material involving a minor earlier this year.
The investigation began in September 2023 when members of the Regional Electronics & Computer Investigations section opened an investigation into Witt’s activities after receiving information from the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
According to court documents, the material involved female children as young as 6 years old and contained disturbing content.
A Hamilton County grand jury indicted Witt on 15 charges, most of which are pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor.
During this investigation, the sheriff’s office said investigators discovered that Witt was a seminarian studying to be a priest for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and that his residential address was the Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary.
This week, Witt pleaded guilty to eight charges, with prosecutors dropping the remaining seven charges.
Witt is scheduled to be sentenced next month. He faces up to 12 years in prison and a $40,000 fine.
The Archdiocese of Cincinnati released a statement after his arrest in February, saying a search warrant was executed at Witt’s living quarters on the grounds at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary & School of Theology, and he was taken into custody.
The archdiocese stated Witt is no longer a student nor a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.
“The seminary and the Archdiocese of Cincinnati have strict policies against, and take significant precautions to prevent, anyone from possessing or accessing material of this type, regardless of whether they are a student, faculty, or staff. Discovery of such material will result in immediate termination or dismissal and notification of law enforcement,” Rev. Anthony R. Brausch, rector, said in a letter to the seminary community.