An Ohio pastor reportedly resigned from his ministry on Monday after nearly 500 people signed a petition demanding his ouster in 2021 after allegations of destruction of evidence

Father Barry Stechschulte stepped down from his position after a WCPO 9 report that he allegedly ordered the destruction of child pornography and delayed reporting it for six years while he served at another parish, according to the outlet.

Parents for Action expressed concerns in a letter to Stechschulte and the Archdiocese of Cincinnati obtained by the outlet. “The decision you made to destroy evidence instead of reporting it to the proper authorities has severely compromised the confidence many of us have in your leadership,” the organization reportedly wrote. “We believe that for the unity and peace of our parish to be restored, a change in leadership is necessary … we respectfully request your resignation from your position at St. Susanna.”

The letter also found fault with the archdiocese’s alleged “lack of direct communication and reassurance,” the outlet reported

Stechschulte reportedly acknowledged his mistake in a letter to the church community on July 12 and sought forgiveness during a Mass on July 14. “I instructed the hard drive to be destroyed. I realize that not reporting it was a terrible mistake, which I regret,” he wrote, according to WCPO 9.

The child pornography allegations involved Pastor Tony Cutcher, the outlet reported. He was reportedly investigated in relation to allegations of child pornography after he served at a church in St. Mary’s until 2012. Cutcher’s replacement, Stechschulte, and the deacon told authorities they found what they claimed appeared to be child pornography on a computer he had used, according to the outlet.

“Father Barry said that upon looking at the computer he found two file folders, one containing male homosexual pornography and the other file contained pictures of boys … he said he can only recall boys with no shirts on. I asked him if the kids were obviously underage with him saying ‘yes’ and that they were preteen, probably 8 to 10 years of age,” a 2018 St. Mary’s police report alleged, the outlet reported.

The deacon reportedly told law enforcement that he removed the computer’s hard drive then destroyed it using a blowtorch after Stechschulte requested it, the report said.

Father Barry – who failed to report alleged child porn to police for 6 years, and ordered it destroyed – just resigned from St. Susanna in Mason. 20 days after my story aired. @wcpo Story airs at 6. https://t.co/hS9SuEdyyL

— Paula Christian (@PaulaChristian_) July 29, 2024

Cutcher resigned in 2021 after a series of scandals allegedly involving sexual misconduct, according to another WCPO 9 report by Paula Christian, who interviewed him.

The controversy surrounding the former pastor at the time included allegations that he exchanged numerous inappropriate text messages with at 14-year-old boy and a principal’s suicide, as well as the earlier incident, the outlet reported.

Cutcher was accused of sending a number of suggestive text messages to the teenaged boy, according to the outlet. The pastor recalled in the interview how his music minister called the archdiocese. The Montgomery County prosecutor’s office investigated the allegations and decided not to charge Cutcher, according to Christian, who sought records from the office. She also reported that she secured records from other authorities.

Ohioans for Child Protection co-founder Teresa Dinwiddie-Herrmann obtained the alleged text messages and reviewed them along with a colleague, the outlet reported. The two reportedly took note of Cutcher allegedly proffering gifts to the boy, paying him for yard work on church grounds and inquiring after other boys with cell phones.

“Wow. You are incredibly handsome,” “You have become quite important to me lately” and “Are you all brown and tanned?” were some of the messages he allegedly sent to the boy, according to the outlet. (RELATED: Megachurch Pastor Robert Morris Resigns After Admitting To ‘Inappropriate Sexual Behavior’: REPORT)

The boy also allegedly discussed telling the former pastor that his family was having dinner from a BJ’s restaurant, the outlet reported. “Oh the restaurant, I always think of something else when someone says BJ’s … I won’t tell you the thing but the second word is ‘job.’ (Think below the belt),” Cutcher allegedly responded, according to the outlet.

The pastor told Christian in the interview that he knew the alleged messages were not appropriate.