A 39-year-old Centralia minister has been charged in Marion County Court with four counts of child pornography.
Ian Maphet of Edgewood Lane was taken into custody by Centralia Police at the Calumet Street Christian Church on Wednesday where he is Worship Minister.
The case was investigated by Jefferson County Sheriff’s Detective Bobby Wallace through his work with the Internet Crimes Against Children’s Task Force. He reports the group found child pornography activity in the Centralia area. In the investigation that followed, a search warrant was obtained for Maphet’s electronic devices.
Two of the four child pornography are Class X felonies, while the other two are Class 2 felonies.
Wallace says the forensic evidence evaluation is just beginning and additional counts are possible.
In a Facebook post, the church says after hearing the evidence from Illinois State Police, Maphet was terminated from his position at the church. The church is having a time of prayer on Thursday night to pray for the church and everyone involved. The post says they are striving to be united during this time of devastation.
