CINCINNATI — A $200,000 bond was set Saturday for a man studying to be a priest with the Archdiocese of Cincinnati who allegedly had multiple videos of child porn.
Broderick Witt, 28, was arrested Friday at Mount Saint Mary's Seminary, which is where the sheriff's office says he resided. He was charged with eight counts of pandering sexually oriented material involving a minor, which are all fourth degree felonies.
The Regional Electronics & Computer Investigations (RECI) section began investigating Witt in September 2023 after receiving information from the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
In court Saturday, the prosecution called what Witt's accused of "heinous."
According to the prosecution, Witt had multiple videos of underage girls, including some of pre-pubescent children between the ages of 6 and 10. The videos showed the children engaging in various sexual acts, including one with an adult male.
"I understand that the defendant has family support, however these victims are nameless and they don't get to be here and ask for bond," the prosecution said.
Prior to the prosecution detailing its case, Witt's father spoke on his behalf asking for a low bond, saying his son is not a flight risk and would be overseen by him.
The judge ruled a $25,000 secured bone for each charge, totaling to $200,000. Should he post bond, he'll be on electronic-monitored house arrest and prohibited from using the internet at any time.
The Archdiocese of Cincinnati released a statement saying Witt is "no longer a student of this institution, nor a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati."
"The seminary and the Archdiocese of Cincinnati have strict policies against, and take significant precautions to prevent, anyone from possessing or accessing material of this type, regardless of whether they are a student, faculty, or staff," the statement reads. "Discovery of such material will result in immediate termination or dismissal and notification of law enforcement."
The archdiocese says it's committed to "remove the scourge of child exploitation and abuse" from the church and society.
Survivor Network of Those Abused by Priests Cincinnati Representative Dan Fornsdorf said the connection of child pornography with the Catholic Church raised alarm bells for him, and he calls on the church to be more vigilant.
"Every time I hear about this, I'm surprised, but I'm not surprised," Fornsdorf. "It seems like this problem just doesn't want to go away."
He called any association between the church and child sexual exploitation unacceptable after decades of criticism over the handling of sexual abuse cases including a series of stories done as the result of a three-month-long investigation by WCPO investigators.
"Their job is to keep it from happening in the first place," Forndorf said.
Witt is scheduled to be back in court in front of the grand jury on Tuesday, Feb. 20.
