CLEVELAND — Robert McWilliams, a Strongsville priest who is facing child pornography charges, was back in court Wednesday morning where a judge ordered he provide a DNA sample as the case moves forward.
The original bond of $50,000 was also continued. If released, McWilliams would have to comply with the court's supervised release and GPS monitoring.
This court hearing comes after news surfaced last week that McWilliams had been indicted on 20 counts of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor.
According to the indictment, which was filed in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, a grand jury found that McWilliams “unlawfully did, with knowledge of the character of the material or performance involved, create, record, photograph, film, develop, reproduce, or publish material that shows a minor participating or engaging in sexual activity. …”
The indictment also included one count of possessing criminal tools.
The allegations listed in the indictment span from Oct. 25, 2018 to Dec. 5, 2019.
This indictment comes amid other charges against McWilliams related to child pornography already filed in Cuyahoga and Geauga counties.
The investigation started with allegations the priest sent an inappropriate text to a teenager at St. Helen’s Church in Newbury, where McWilliams led the church’s youth program. In the text exchange, McWilliams allegedly posed online as a teen girl and asked a teen boy to send him photos.
McWilliams was ordained as a priest in 2017.
3News' cameras were there when authorities first placed McWilliams in custody last month. You can watch video from his arrest below: