PENNSYLVANIA
The Morning Call
Laurie Mason Schroeder, Matt Coughlin and Pamela Lehman
Of The Morning Call
ALLENTOWN — The pastor of St. Ann’s Roman Catholic Church is charged with possession of child pornography in a warrant filed Tuesday morning in district court in Emmaus.
John Stephen Mraz, 66, of Emmaus, is charged in the warrant filed by Lehigh County detectives with one felony count of possession of child pornography, one felony count of criminal use of a communication facility and a misdemeanor count of selling obscene materials. The charges list July 25 as the date of the offenses.
Mraz was arraigned Tuesday morning and is free on $50,000 unsecured bail, court records state.
Parishoners said Mraz has been out about a month from St. Ann’s Church with what church officials said were “medical issues.”
According to court records:
A parishioner worked on a laptop computer owned by Mraz and saw a folder titled “naked boys.” Police said the parishioner gave the laptop computer back, but was upset and reported it to the diocese. The diocese then contacted the district attorney’s office. …
The Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office said they plan to announce the results of a sex abuse investigation related to allegations involving child pornography against a Roman Catholic priest Tuesday morning during a press conference in the county courthouse.
A press conference is scheduled at 10:30 a.m. in the district attorney’s office on Hamilton Street in Allentown.
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