In a bizarre story that is all too fitting for these diseased and disgusting times, police have arrested a man whose fetish for history may only have been exceeded by his taste for kiddie porn.
Last week, law enforcement authorities in “The Land Of Lincoln” took into custody a 63-year-old retired teacher on charges of solicitation of a prostitute as well as child pornography and whose hobby was impersonating President Abraham Lincoln at a variety of commemorative events.
George Arthur Buss was taken into custody following a months-long investigation into alleged acts of disgusting perversion so foul that defy comprehension.
Abe Lincoln reenactor arrested on child porn charge https://t.co/7ePr4u0Dt8 If convicted, defendant could face more than one score years in prison pic.twitter.com/hRbjCP5i8t
— The Smoking Gun (@tsgnews) August 29, 2020
Via The Smoking Gun, “Abe Lincoln Reenactor Busted For Child Porn”:
An Illinois man widely known for his portrayal of Abraham Lincoln was arrested today on child porn and prostitution charges.
George Buss, 63, was jailed after police took him into custody this morning at his home in Freeport, a city 115 miles west of Chicago (and about 220 miles north of Springfield, the 16th president’s hometown).
Police did not offer further details of the charges against Buss, who was collared after a six-month investigation. He is facing a felony charge for allegedly producing child pornography and a misdemeanor count for patronizing a prostitute.
A second man, Tyler Dotson, was also arrested. Dotson, 22, was charged with two counts of distributing child porn, a felony, as well as prostitution.
Both Buss and Dotson are locked up in lieu of $200,000 bond. Buss is pictured above in a police mug shot and his Lincoln headshot.
Buss is a retired high school teacher who, for 35 years, has portrayed Lincoln across Illinois and the United States. He has appeared at elementary schools, historical societies, state fairs, Civil War and Lincoln-Douglas debate reenactments, Ford’s Theater, car shows, Presidents’ Day celebrations, and The Association of Lincoln Presenters conferences.
According to his web site, the “tall, thin, and bearded” Buss was “frequently told of his resemblance to Honest Abe.” In 1986, Buss made his first appearance as Lincoln at a National Educational Association convention in New Orleans. Last November, on the anniversary of the Gettysburg address, Buss delivered the brief speech during ceremonies at the Gettysburg National Cemetery in Pennsylvania.
Additional details according to Northern Illinois’ Journal-Standard:
George Buss, a Freeport man widely known for the decades he spent portraying the nation’s 16th president, was arrested Friday on charges of possessing child pornography video and patronizing a prostitute.
Buss, 63, was booked into the county jail late Friday morning, according to information from the Stephenson County Sheriff’s Office. Buss was taken into custody at his home after a criminal investigation that started in February, Freeport police said. He is being held without bond.
Buss, a retired teacher, has portrayed President Abraham Lincoln in public events around Freeport and across the country since 1986. He is the official Lincoln reenactor at an annual reading of the Gettysburg Address each year at Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania.
“The crimes George Buss stands accused of are heinous. I denounce him in the strongest of terms,” state Rep. Andrew Chesney, R-Freeport, said in a statement to reporters. “My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. May their voices be heard and may justice be quickly served.”
His arrest came one day before he was scheduled to perform in the annual portrayal of the Lincoln-Douglas debates. That event, normally held in Debate Square downtown, was to be held online this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The accused will get his day in court and if convicted will become very familiar with Lincoln logs if he is sent to the pokey.
