KANSAS CITY (MO)
Kansas City Star
July 18, 2019
By Katie Moore
A former priest who served at several locations under the Kansas City, Kansas, Archdiocese has been charged in federal court with possessing child pornography.
Christopher Rossman allegedly possessed visual depictions of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct in September 2016, according to charging documents.
The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas said it reported Rossman to police after receiving information that he had accessed the inappropriate content.
He was immediately suspended from serving as a pastor in Baldwin City and Lapeer, Kansas, the Archdiocese said. He had previously been assigned to churches in Olathe, Topeka, Holton, Mayetta and the Potawatomi Reservation.
“The Archdiocese will continue to cooperate with law enforcement as this matter moves forward,” the organization said in a statement Thursday.
Scott Toth, Rossman’s attorney, said it would be premature to comment on the case now.
In January, the Archdiocese published a list of clergy who have been accused of sexual abuse.
Rossman was listed among priests who were the subject of publicized allegations the Archdiocese said it wasn’t able to substantiate, along with three other men. Those included Scott Kallal, who now faces two counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child in Wyandotte County District Court.
Kallal’s trial, which has been delayed once, is scheduled to start Sept. 9.
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