Strongsville priest indicted on felony sex crime charges

A Strongsville Catholic priest who is also facing charges in Geauga County was indicted by a Cuyahoga County grand jury Jan. 16.

Robert McWilliams, 39, was indicted on

19 counts of seconddegree felony pandering sexually oriented material involving a minor. He is also charged with second-degree felony illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material and fifth-degree felony possessing criminal tools.

The date of the offenses ranges from Oct. 25, 2018, to Dec. 5, 2019, according to the indictment. The criminal tools listed in the indictment were a laptop and external hard drive.

McWilliams’ arraignment is set for Jan. 22 according to court records. He was first arrested Dec. 5 at St. Joseph in Strongsville after the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force raided his office and living space.

McWilliams is a former seminarian at St. Helen’s Catholic Church in Newbury Township. His charges in Geauga County are separate from the Cuyahoga County case, Geauga County Prosecutor James L. Flaiz said.

In the Geauga County case, he is accused of soliciting a photo of a minor and is currently facing a second-degree felony sexual performance on a minor charge. That charge was filed in Chardon Municipal Court and his case was bound over to the Geauga County grand jury Jan. 15. Flaiz said he expects to present the grand jury with more charges against McWilliams.

The Catholic Diocese of Cleveland placed McWilliams on administrative leave following his Dec. 5 arrest. Records from the diocese show McWilliams was ordained in May 2017.

McWilliams