Dubuque man accused of sending obscene material to a minor - Dubuque Telegraph Herald

A Dubuque man who ran mission trips to Haiti has been arrested and charged with sending nude pictures of himself to a juvenile Haitian male.

Robert A. Buss, 49, of 1975 W. Third St., turned himself in to Dubuque police today on a charge of dissemination of obscene material to a minor, a serious misdemeanor.

The Archdiocese of Dubuque issued a statement, saying Buss has served as a religious education teacher (catechist) for St. Anthony's parish since 2007. He also participated in parish-sponsored service trips to Haiti, where St. Anthony supports an impoverished parish, St. Montfort, in Port-de-Paix.

According to court records, Buss is accused of sending nude photos of himself to a minor he had met in Haiti during one of his several missionary trips to the country. Police said they were provided email records, Facebook messages and photos that had been sent between Buss and the male, who is now 18 years old, but was 16 at the time Buss allegedly started sending photos in 2011. The photos that were emailed showed Buss nude.

The email dated Sept. 6, 2011, includes a message that states, "Be careful with these please."

Police executed a search warrant at Buss' residence and found numerous computers and storage devices that were seized for analysis. According to police, Buss ultimately admitted that his computers would contain pornographic

images of himself and other males, including the juvenile in question, and he admitted that he engaged in sex acts with the boy in April 2011. Court records state that Buss admitted to knowing the juvenile was a high school student at the time of this communication and during their sexual encounter.

A female who answered the phone at the Buss residence today declined comment on his behalf. Buss is married with four children.

The Rev. Steve Rosonke, St. Anthony's pastor, spoke with Buss on Monday but declined to share details of their discussion.

"Bob and his family are involved in and supportive of many parish activities, and there was never any reason to wonder about his actions," Rosonke said.

He did not know whether St. Montfort Parish had been notified of Buss' arrest.

"We've never dealt with anything like this before, but we're trying to be transparent so no one will think we're hiding anything," the priest said.

He will speak to St. Anthony parishioners about the charge against Buss at Mass this weekend, and counselors will be brought in for religious education classes on Wednesday, March 20.

"We want to pray not only for the victim, but for the Buss family as well," Rosonke said.

Assistant Dubuque County Attorney Chris Corken asked that any parents or individuals who have concerns should call the county attorney's office at 563-589-4470.

"He's had access to a lot of kids," said Corken, who added that the police are still investigating the incident and that the alleged sex acts are under investigation by the federal government.

Buss was released on $10,000 unsecured bond following his initial appearance today. Corken said Judge Mark Hostager took his passport and ordered that he have no unsupervised contact with anyone under the age of 18, other than his son. Buss also is not allowed to use any computers or other forms of electronic communication other than his cellphone. He waived his right to a preliminary hearing.

Sister Carol Hoverman, director of Communications for the Archdiocese of Dubuque, wrote in the statement that Buss did not have access to St. Anthony computers and that he participated in a safe environment training program and background check before becoming a catechist.

"We have no information to believe that Mr. Buss has been involved in any unlawful activity as a catechist at St. Anthony's," the statement read. "If you have any information to the contrary, you should contact our local law enforcement officials."

St. Anthony administration has placed Buss on immediate leave until further notice.

"The alleged behaviors that prompted the arrest were unknown to St. Anthony's Parish," the statement said. "Parish administrators are fully cooperating with law enforcement officials."

— Mary Nevans-Pederson contributed