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Priest pleads to child pornography charges

By Brian Hagen

07/26/2019

Rev. Christopher Rossman/Credit:theleaven.org

(MSC News)--A Kansas priest with ties to the local area has pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography.

According to a news release issued by U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister, 46-year-old Christopher Rossman entered the plea in federal court Friday, admitting that investigators found child pornography on his Samsung Galaxy tablet.

According to the release, the crimes occurred in September 2016 when monitoring software installed on Rossman’s computer devices reported he had visited adult pornography and child pornography websites.

The Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas, said in a news release issued last week that it reported Rossman to authorities in September 2016 after learning he had accessed the content, and he was suspended from the ministry at that time.

Rossman formerly served at the Annunciation Catholic Church in Baldwin City. The release from McAllister states that when investigators attempted to locate Rossman in Baldwin City, they learned that his sister had taken possession of the tablet and tried to run over it a number of times. A forensics examination of the device located files depicting prepubescent females engaged in sexual activity.

Sentencing for Rossman will be scheduled at a later date. The crime carries a penalty of up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000.

According to the Associated Press, Rossman, in the past, had worked at local area churches in Holton, Mayetta and Potawatomi Reservation.

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