Former Mascoutah priest sentenced to prison for child porn, meth possession
A former Mascoutah priest who pleaded guilty last fall to possessing child pornography and possessing methamphetamine has been sentenced to nine years in prison.
Gerald R. Hechenberger, a former associate pastor of Holy Childhood Catholic Church and School, attended his sentencing hearing in St. Clair County Court on Tuesday wearing sweatpants and a purple t-shirt and leaning on a cane to support himself. Several of his friends and family members attended the hearing too.
On Nov. 7, Hechenberger pleaded guilty to four of the 17 counts with which he was charged two years ago, those being three counts of possessing pornographic photos of children and one count of possession of methamphetamine.
He was sentenced to serve nine years in the Illinois Department of Corrections by St. Clair County Circuit Judge Zina Cruse, despite lawyer Randall Kelley’s argument that sentencing Hechenberger to any form of incarceration would be “a death sentence” because of his poor health.
Special prosecutor Jennifer Mudge prosecuted the case in place of the St. Clair County State’s Attorney’s office since James Gomric was Hechenberger’s lawyer before he was appointed to be state’s attorney.
Hechenberger was arrested at Holy Childhood Church by Belleville police on Jan. 8, 2018. The investigation was initiated by a cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which flagged one of the images coming into Hechenberger’s Google account as child pornography.
The police investigation required “multiple search warrants, online investigative techniques and surveillance details,” Belleville Police Lt. Todd Keilbach said at the time. Kelley, who was then a St. Clair County Circuit Judge before his retirement in March 2018, signed off on those warrants.
Belleville Police Detective Master Sgt. Patrick Koebbe, a member of the Illinois Internet Crimes Against Children task force, gave witness testimony Tuesday that approximately 35 images depicting child pornography were found on Hechenberger’s cell phone at the rectory where he lived on the grounds of Holy Childhood Church. Investigators also found about 2.5 grams of methamphetamine in a backpack there.
Koebbe said that when police confronted Hechenberger at his residence, he admitted to possessing the images and that he had used methamphetamine on and off for about 10 years.
Hechenberger was then charged with eight counts of child pornography dissemination, seven counts of possessing pornographic photos of children, one count of possessing a pornographic video of children and one count of possessing methamphetamine.
None of the children depicted in the child porn were local, according to the St. Clair County State’s Attorney’s Office.
At his sentencing hearing, Hechenberger gave a statement to the court, saying that there was no excuse for his conduct and that he was truly sorry. He said that he had betrayed the things he believes in as a person and as a man of God. He said that his behavior came as a result of a “perfect storm” of metal health issues, including depression and bipolar disorder, drug use, hypersexual thoughts and grief after the death of his father in 2014.
“I have never been abusive or inappropriate to anyone of any age,” Hechenberger said in his statement.
Cruse, however, disagreed.
She said that she believed Hechenberger was coming from a place of “sincere sorrow and repentance,” but that he “exhibited a desire to see others abuse prepubescent children,” even if he did not abuse anyone himself.
Bishop Edward Braxton of the Belleville Diocese announced in the days after Hechenberger’s arrest that he had been stripped of his priest duties.
Mascoutah’s Holy Childhood of Jesus School released a statement on Tuesday afternoon that reassured the public all children at the school “have been and are safe and protected.”
“Recall that the former Associate Pastor never was charged with any act involving any youngster or any student at Holy Childhood School,” the statement said. “In fact, whenever he was at the school he always was with a class and with another adult.”
The school said it wishes Hechenberger well and that he is in its prayers.
This story was originally published January 14, 2020 at 3:04 PM.
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