ST. LOUIS — A church official from Illinois accused of producing child pornography was arrested Wednesday and appeared in U.S. District Court in St. Louis, according to court documents.
Michael William Mohr, 54, of Springfield, was charged by complaint in St. Louis with one count of producing child pornography. He waived his right to a detention hearing and will be held in jail until trial.
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Mohr is the president of the Central Illinois District of the Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod.
An affidavit in support of the complaint alleges that a court-approved search of Mohr’s home in Springfield found storage devices containing videos of three juveniles in the bathroom. The affidavit says a search of a residence used by Mohr in Vandalia uncovered a hidden camera disguised as a wall clock and another disguised as a Bluetooth speaker.
The investigation began after one of the juveniles told the Vandalia Police Department that he discovered a camera disguised as an electronic device charger in a hotel bathroom, the affidavit says. The discovery happened the morning after the juvenile awoke to find Mohr standing above him and masturbating, believing the victim was asleep, according to the affidavit. The juvenile was in shock and acted like he was still asleep, the affidavit says.
FBI St. Louis and St. Louis County Police investigated the case with assistance from FBI Springfield, Illinois, and the Vandalia Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the FBI. Submit information via tips.fbi.gov or 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324).
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
A charge set forth in a criminal complaint is merely an accusation and does not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
