FORT SHAFTER, Hawaii – On Jan. 28 a military judge sentenced a soldier to 36 months in prison for attempting to receive child pornography and soliciting to produce child pornography.
Army Pvt. Collin R. Scherer, 26, a military police officer assigned to the 8th Theater Sustainment Command, pleaded guilty during his court-martial at the Wheeler Army Airfield Courtroom, Hawaii.
In addition to the prison sentence, he received a dishonorable discharge and total forfeiture of all pay and allowances.
On Jan. 31, 2023, Scherer asked a friend to provide him photographs of her three children, all under the age of 10. He specifically wanted to see them naked so he could see their development and offered to compensate the mother of the victims if she complied with his request.
Alarmed by his behavior, that day the mother of the children reported Scherer to the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division, providing them a Snapchat conversation regarding his request.
On April 21, 2023, Army CID conducted an online operation where they posed as the mother of the children. Within three days of communicating with the undercover CID agent, Sherer requested videos of her children performing multiple sexual acts on each other and themselves. He then sent money to the mother of the children as payment for the video.
Scherer was arrested by Army CID on April 28, 2023.
“Children are precious and protecting them is our greatest responsibility,” said Cpt. Kristofher Beralo, lead prosecutor, Seventh Circuit, Army Office of Special Trial Counsel. “Prosecuting those who seek to harm our children is more than just about enforcing the law – it is defending the very heart of our society.”
“CID leveraged its experience and proactive techniques as part of dedicated efforts to ensure the safety of children in the community and create safe environments,” said Special Agent in Charge Ruben R. Santiago, Army CID’s Pacific Field Office. “The collaborative efforts between CID and prosecutors were outstanding as we prevent and investigate criminal activity while maintaining the Army’s operational readiness.”
Scherer is currently at the Navy Brig in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and is awaiting orders to be transferred to the United States Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
Upon release from prison Scherer will be required to register as a sex offender and will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Army Garrison-Hawaii Military Police and the Army CID Pacific Field Office. The case was prosecuted by Beralo and Cpt. Jonathan Hesterman, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, 8th Army Theater Sustainment Command.
The Army Office of Special Trial Counsel is comprised of specially trained military lawyers, legal professionals and support staff responsible for the expert and independent prosecution of murder, sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, kidnapping and other serious criminal offenses. Headquartered at Fort Belvoir, Va., OSTC has eight regional headquarters that oversee 28 field offices located across the country to include Europe and Korea. For more information visit https://www.army.mil/ostc.
| Date Taken: | 02.06.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 02.06.2025 14:17 |
| Story ID: | 490279 |
| Location: | FORT SHAFTER, HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: | 83 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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