‘EXTREMELY DISTURBING’

Delaware Children’s Pastor Hit With 10 Counts of Child Porn

James R. Dryden, 74, hasn’t been charged with contacting any children, but authorities are urging the public to come forward given the nature of his work.

A Delaware children’s pastor has been arrested on child pornography charges, the Delaware Attorney General’s Office announced Friday.

James Dryden, 74, was charged with 10 counts of child pornography possession after a state investigation found that Dryden had downloaded child sexual abuse material. Authorities were initially alerted by Microsoft-generated CyberTips that Dryden’s IP address had accessed the explicit content, and they found more pornographic material when they searched his house.

“The evidence in this investigation is deeply disturbing,” Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings said. “Nothing is more important than protecting our kids.”

Dryden was a children’s pastor with Stein Highway Church of God in Seaford, Delaware, for more than 20 years. He is not charged with contacting any children and the Attorney General’s Office said they did not know of any victims from his church, but urged the public to come forward with any information “given the nature of Dryden’s work and the fact that it brought him into regular contact with children.”

Dryden, who was arrested Feb. 15, does not appear on Stein Highway’s staff page on its website.

Dryden is being held on $500,000 bail at a Sussex County corrections facility.

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