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An associate Catholic priest from a church in Mascoutah, Illinois is facing multiple charges of possessing and disseminating child pornography.
Belleville police arrested Rev. Gerald Hechenberger, the associate pastor at Holy Childhood Church and School, Monday after reportedly finding him in possession of multiple pornographic images and videos of children under the age of 13.
The officers were turned onto the 54-year-old Hechenberger from an anonymous tip from the Attorney General's ICAC Task Force indicating he was distributing child pornography.
Detectives surveilled Hechenberger online and in person and were eventually granted a warrant to search the rectory at Holy Childhood Catholic Church Monday.
Officers reportedly found drug paraphernalia and methamphetamine along with the images and videos of children.