Godfrey, Illinois pastor charged in federal child porn case

by Derrion Henderson Jul 1, 2020 / 10:08 PM CDT

"The head pastor at a Lutheran church in Godfrey, Illinois is facing federal charges of possession of child pornography.

Federal investigators say the pastor admitted collecting inappropriate video of the child for some 30 years. Now, they say he’s having his day in court."

"Some Godfrey, Illinois worshippers of the Lutheran faith are left stunned as Pastor Steven Tibbetts, the head of the Resurrection Lutheran Church, is now charged with distributing child pornography."

Court documents say "Tibbetts used social media sites like Tumblr, The New Tumblr, and Twitter to spread child pornography.

After the social media sites turned over the information to authorities, FBI agents traced the IP address to a computer used by the Lutheran pastor."

"Following a federal search of his home on June 18, Tibbetts admitted to trading child pornography since the 1990s. He further admitted to having a sexual interest in minor males as well…

Tibbetts has been stripped of his duties in the church while he awaits trial.

For transparency, mugshots and photos of suspects are not released in federal cases."

Released on $10,000 bond, Pastor Tibbetts is on house arrest pending trial date.

https://fox2now.com/news/illinois/godfrey-illinois-pastor-charged-in-federal-child-porn-case/