Christian youth pastor charged with possessing ‘thousands’ of child porn images

Arnold DiBlasi, a former church youth group director, has been arrested and charged after thousands of child porn images were found on his home computer and cellphone, CBS Philly reports.

The pastor of Cherry Hill Church in New Jersey says he only just heard about the charges on Monday. DiBlasi, 71, was charged with possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material. He was released from the Burlington County jail following a detention hearing.

In a statement, Pastor Jason Rocks says officials told him “no parish youth were involved in the materials, none of the activities took place on parish property, nor were any parish electronics used.” He also said that DiBlasi passed all the required background checks before he was hired.

From CBS Philly:

In the church’s weekly bulletin from September 2020, DiBlasi posted about the youth group, saying in part “we are looking for teens entering 8th – 12th grade who would like to create new friendships.”

He also asked for information including cellphone numbers, adding “direct contact with the teens really helps to create an enthusiastic network who encourage each other to attend and suggest activities.”

“He has kids and everybody on this street played together,” said a woman who lived a few houses down from DiBlasi for more than 30 years. “You never know. You never ever know.”

Sky Palma

Before launching DeadState back in 2012, Sky Palma has been blogging about politics, social issues and religion for over a decade. He lives in Los Angeles and also enjoys Brazilian jiu jitsu, chess, music and art.