Complaint: Pastor charged with child porn described himself as “active pedophile”

Warning: This article may be disturbing for sensitive readers and survivors of abuse

APPLETON, Wis. (WBAY) - A local pastor is being held on $100,000 cash bond as he faces more than a dozen counts of possession of child pornography and one count of possession of methamphetamine.

Rick Haberland, 48, was arrested Thursday at Oneida United Methodist Church in Outagamie County.

In the criminal complaint, investigators say Haberland gave inconsistent answers. He denied viewing child pornography and denied being sexually active or sexually interested in children. But he admitted having at least 20 videos and photos of child pornography on his phone and setting up Zoom meetings to display child pornography.

Investigators say they found chat log records on Skype where Haberland said he liked “young boys only however I love abusing young girls.” Police also found a profile on his phone, which Haberland admitted he wrote, saying he was physically and sexually abused as a child. The profile says he is “an active pedophile” who’s molested children as young as 3 days old to 12 years old and his motto is “molest, abuse, rape & reuse.”

The Outagamie County Sheriff’s Office says it started its investigation last November. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s received a tip that someone was using Microsoft’s Skype to share suspected images of child pornography. Subpoenas and search warrants eventually led to internet service at the address of Oneida UMC on County Highway TK and Skype messages to Haberland’s Yahoo email address.

Haberland was a reverend at the church for less than two years before his arrest.

The United Methodist Church Wisconsin Conference says Haberland was also an active pastor at New Hope United Methodist Church, which has been holding services at a Bethany UMC in Ashwaubenon since a fire last summer.

The Outagamie County Sheriff’s Office says he was previously a pastor at Suring and Hickory UMC in Suring, Phillips UMC in Phillips, and Tabor UMC in Eden.

Haberland also eventually admitted to investigators he uses meth about once a week.

The sheriff’s office is asking anyone with information that might help their investigation call Sgt. Fitzpatrick at (920) 832-5279 or email him.

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