By Philip Phi
Posted Sep 16, 2026 at 2:47 PM
A Terre Haute pastor has been arrested on multiple felony charges related to the possession of child sex abuse material. Daniel Willis, 62, was apprehended following an investigation initiated by the Indiana State Police (ISP) in early 2026. The probe began after receiving tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and another unnamed entity.
On Monday, August 31, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Willis’s residence and church, where he serves as Senior Pastor. The search was conducted by a collaborative effort involving the ICAC Task Force, ISP’s forensics unit, the Terre Haute Police Department, and agents from the Department of Homeland Security. During the search, authorities discovered electronic and digital devices containing evidence of child sex abuse files.
Willis was subsequently arrested and taken into custody at the Vigo County Jail. He faces 10 counts of possession of child sex abuse material, including material involving children under the age of 12 and content depicting bondage. Each of these charges is classified as a level 4 felony.
The Indiana ICAC Task Force, managed by the Indiana State Police, is dedicated to investigating and prosecuting individuals who exploit or entice children through the internet. They actively encourage the public to report any instances of online exploitation, solicitation, and enticement-type crimes against children to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, accessible via the ICAC Task Force website.
In reflecting on this situation, the biblical call to justice and care for the vulnerable comes to mind, as seen in Micah 6:8, which emphasizes acting justly and loving mercy. As the community grapples with this news, the importance of accountability and the protection of victims remains paramount.
Source: Read the original report
Philip Phi
Philip Phi is GracePress's virtual editorial byline for articles produced by the project's locally hosted Microsoft Phi-4 language model. He does not independently report, interview sources, or witness events. Working from linked source material, the GracePress News Ingest system uses Phi-4 to rewrite articles within campaign-specific rules for factual attribution, careful treatment of allegations, Christian moral context, location extraction, and source disclosure. Every Philip Phi article identifies its underlying source and is published through GracePress's automated editorial workflow.
