Former seminarian pleads guilty in Ohio child porn case

Former seminary student Broderick Witt entered the guilty plea at Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas, where he was facing multiple counts of “pandering sexually oriented material involving a minor.” / Credit: Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office

CNA Staff, Aug 9, 2024 / 16:07 pm (CNA).

A former Catholic seminarian in Ohio pleaded guilty this week to charges of possessing child sexual abuse material and faces years in prison.

Broderick Witt entered the guilty plea at Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas, where he was facing multiple counts of “pandering sexually oriented material involving a minor.” 

Prosecutors had originally charged Witt with 15 counts; he ultimately pleaded guilty to eight of those charges, with the prosecution dropping the remaining seven. 

Court documents indicated the material involved girls as young as 6 years old. 

The Archdiocese of Cincinnati had announced in February of this year that Witt, at the time a student at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary and School of Theology in Cincinnati, had been arrested by the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department after child pornography had been found in his living quarters. 

“Mr. Witt is no longer a student of this institution, nor a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati,” seminary rector Father Anthony Brausch said at the time, adding that the seminary was cooperating with law enforcement in the investigation. 

Witt’s sentencing is set for Sept. 5. He faces up to a dozen years in prison for the charges. 

In a statement to CNA, the Archdiocese of Cincinnati pointed to Brausch’s February statement in which he said that both the seminary and the archdiocese “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.”

“Discovery of such material will result in immediate termination or dismissal and notification of law enforcement,” Brausch said.

Local Cincinnati news station WCPO reported in March that prior to his arrest Witt had “interned” at several local parishes, including doing work with children.

Investigators were initially led to Witt after a tip from the group Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the Cincinnati Inquirer reported.