Charges allege Cottage Grove pastor made porn with photos of children in congregation
An associate pastor at a Cottage Grove church told police he took “innocent” photographs of children in the congregation and used computer software to turn them into hundreds of pornographic images, according to criminal charges filed Friday.
The Rev. William Leonard Helker, 47, was charged with six felony counts of possessing child pornography. Investigators reported the images and video included children who appeared to range in age from younger than 5 to 10 years old. Helker told authorities he had thousands of images of child porn on his laptop and cellphone.
Helker, who lives in Pine City north of the Twin Cities, is charged in Pine County District Court. He had a first appearance in court Friday and is being held at the Pine County jail.
An attorney for Helker could not be reached immediately for comment.
Read more: http://www.twincities.com/2016/10/28/porn-charges-allege-cottage-grove-pastor-manipulated-photos-of-children-in-congregation/
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