St. Louis County, MO – A church official from Illinois has been arrested on a federal child pornography charge following a multi-agency investigation, authorities announced Thursday.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri, Michael William Mohr, 54, of Springfield, Illinois, was charged Wednesday with one count of producing child pornography and appeared in federal court in St. Louis the following day. Mohr is being held in custody after waiving his right to a detention hearing.
Investigators executing a court-approved search at Mohr’s Springfield home found storage devices allegedly containing bathroom videos of three juveniles. At a second residence in Vandalia, officers uncovered hidden cameras disguised as a wall clock and a Bluetooth speaker. The probe began after a juvenile reported discovering a concealed camera in a hotel bathroom, according to the federal complaint.
Mohr serves as president of the Central Illinois District of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, officials said.
The FBI St. Louis Division, FBI Springfield, the St. Louis County Police Department’s Special Investigative Unit, and the Vandalia Police Department all assisted in the case. Prosecutors say the investigation is part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood initiative targeting child exploitation crimes nationwide.
Anyone with additional information is asked to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324) or submit tips.
The charge is an accusation; Mohr is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
This article was produced by a journalist and may include AI-assisted input. All content is reviewed for accuracy and fairness.
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