A famous impersonator of Abraham Lincoln, the famous US President from the Civil War era, has been arrested and charged with the heinous crime of indulging in the production of child pornography. George A. Buss, the accused, was also a school teacher in Illinois but his fame came from his accurate impersonation of Lincoln.
The police of Freeport, a city in Stephenson County of Illinois, arrested him on Friday following an investigation that went on for six months, according to media reports. The police also arrested a 22-year old man, Tyler Dotson. This person is charged with the distribution of child pornography and it is likely that the two men were working together.
Both Buss and Dotson have been interred in Stephenson County Jail and have a bail bond value of $200,000. Apart from charges relating to child pornography, the former high-school teacher is also accused of patronizing a prostitute while the younger man has been charged with prostitution, The Smoking Gun website informs.
Career as Lincoln actor
The 63-year old accused has had a long and successful career depicting the 16th US President in flesh and blood. He has been active in this line of work for more than 30 years and has impersonated Abe Lincoln in events such as fairs and special shows.
Buss also has his own website which describes his history as a Lincoln impressionist. On top of that, Sarah Seiler Watson, executive director of a program hosted by Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area in Springfield, that educates people about the former President's life and career, had also praised the work done by the now-arrested man.
"George Buss brings Lincoln to life not only through his looks, mannerisms, and behaviors but also through his extensive depth of knowledge about Lincoln the man and the life and times of Abraham Lincoln," she is quoted in a testimony on Buss' website.
"He draws on his successful career in education to identify with and actively engage with youth, making history come alive and relevant for them. They feel like they are with Mr. Lincoln," Watson further says in the same statement.
But this career of the impressionist might well be over and children may forever stay away from him if these grave charges of police are proven to be true. The maximum punishment for him in a case like this could be a prison sentence of more than 20 years and a fine amounting to $100,000.
