A LaPorte man has reportedly pleaded guilty to making child pornography and explosives. Eric R. Weiler, 46, entered the guilty plea before a U.S. magistrate judge, according to U.S. Attorney Thomas Kirsch.
Court documents say that on August 23, 2017, one of Weiler’s neighbors discovered that someone had run wires to their car’s gas tank. Then on September 18, investigators say they learned that Weiler had been going into a vacant house in the area. When they went to investigate, they reportedly found writings on the walls about trying to find a girl under the age of 12, but ideally a newborn baby, for sexual contact.
Two days later, officers found two explosives in Weiler’s house, according to Kirsch. One was allegedly an improvised explosive device, while the other was a CO₂ “cricket bomb.” A day after that, several electronic storage devices were reportedly found in Weiler’s house.
Kirsch says some of them contained more than 24,000 images and over 80 videos of child pornography. Some of the videos allegedly showed Weiler engaging in sexual acts with a child under the age of 12, while others allegedly showed him discussing the explosives.
The magistrate judge will make a recommendation on whether or not to accept Weiler’s guilty plea. Kirsch says the final decision will be up to the assigned district court judge, who will then schedule a sentencing hearing.
