PLAIN CITY, Ohio (WCMH) – An employee and designated watchdog for a Catholic church and school in Dublin is facing charges for sex crimes involving minors out of Union County.

Union County court records show Plain City resident John Denzel, 60, is facing 15 counts of possessing sexually oriented material. Denzel is specifically charged with four counts of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor or impaired person, and 11 counts of illegal use of a minor or impaired person in nudity-oriented material or performance.

The first four charges are fourth-degree felonies and detail that the suspect knowingly solicited, received, purchases, exchanged, possessed or controlled material that shows a minor participating or engaging in sexual activity. The remaining 11 are fifth-degree felonies and state that the suspect possessed or viewed material that shows a minor who was not Denzel’s own child in a state of nudity.

The Columbus Diocese confirmed Denzel was an employee with one of its churches and took action against him on Tuesday.

“John Denzel had been employed in multiple roles with St. Brigid of Kildare since 2017 and became the Safe Environment Coordinator in 2022,” a diocese spokesperson wrote. “Upon learning of the indictment against him, his employment was immediately terminated.”

The church is also connected to Saint Brigid of Kildare school, which offers enrollment to elementary and preschool students. Its website completely removed all mention of Denzel as of Wednesday.

However, according to pages preserved by the Wayback Machine, Denzel’s role involved conducting fingerprint background checks on volunteers, and coordinating their participation in a “Protecting God’s Children” course for volunteers to stay aware of signs of child sexual abuse. A different employee at the diocese was responsible for taking reports of abuse.

The diocese also shared that Denzel’s arrest would affect how it handled other employees and future hiring.

“Bishop Earl K. Fernandes has mandated an immediate evaluation of the hiring and onboarding process of all parish-level Safe Environment Coordinators,” a diocese spokesperson wrote. “St. Brigid of Kildare and the Diocese of Columbus administrations are working in full cooperation with local law enforcement as they proceed with a thorough investigation.”

Court records did not share specifics on the number of victims involved in Denzel’s charges, but show a judge issued a warrant for his arrest on July 26.

On Tuesday, he faced a Union County judge, who released Denzel on his own recognizance, meaning he did not have to pay any cash bail. A pretrial conference was scheduled for Sept. 4 in common pleas court.