A youth pastor was charged with possession of child pornography and arrested after police seized thousands of pictures of toddlers, female babies, prepubescent girls and other children being raped, from his home desktop in Cockeysville, Maryland. When the Baltimore County Police investigated 35-year-old Robert David Wright, they found that he had also shared the pictures with other users online.
Wright led a youth group at Clynmalira United Methodist Church in Phoenix, Maryland. According to a report in the Baltimore Sun, Pastor John Dailey released a statement on January 13 that confirmed Wright as a member of the church as well as a volunteer leader of the congregation’s youth group. Dailey assured his flock that the church was taking the allegations against Wright “very seriously”.
“Providing a safe environment for the children and youth of the church is of vital importance to us,” he said.
If Wright is convicted of his crime, he will face a harsh penalty. However, there is currently no evidence to suggest he abused the children in the photographs. Some fear other members of the church could be part of the crime as well.
Dailey said that his church implements Safe Sanctuary, a policy widely enforced by United Methodist Churches, to ensure protection to children from abuse within his ministry. The policy also prohibits those who have a history of sexual misconduct to serve at any United Methodist Church in any capacity.
“We are diligent in [the policy's] implementation and because of this, [we] feel confident that Robert Wright was never alone with any of the youth,” he said.
Reportedly, the church also enforces a “two-adult” rule that requires two adults to accompany every minor who leaves the classroom. If a minor must be left alone with an adult, the policy requires that the doors of the classroom remain open.
Currently, Wright is being held on a $150,000 bail while authorities continue to investigate the case. They have also forwarded the pictures of sexual abuse to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Photo Credits: Brandon Warren
