November 25, 2020

According to court papers, McKenzie admitted to touching the victim inappropriately, saying he “had a perverted thought.”

McKenzie is the co-founder of Word of Faith Ministries, which according to its website, holds services at a hotel in St. Louis Park.

He faces two charges of third-degree criminal sexual conduct, and could serve up to 30 years in prison.

September 17, 2019

An Ohio pastor accused of sexually assaulting a teenage parishioner who was also sexually abused as a child told authorities that he had sex with her “to fix her fears.

September 17, 2019

Gregory Lisby, a former pastor at Christ Church in Ridgewood from 2010 to 2015, was charged by federal officials in Boston last week with possession of child pornography.

​

September 17, 2019

What churches did they serve in?

August 02, 2019

A former pastor who recently left his post at an Independence church to take a position as a pastor in Wisconsin has been charged in that state with felony child enticement.

Scott A. Patschke, 53, had been a senior pastor at the Messiah Lutheran Church in Independence until he left in August, according to church leaders. He moved to Wisconsin, where he is reportedly accused of sending sexual messages to someone he thought was a 15-year-old boy.

Read more here: https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/crime/article219276890.html#storylink=cpy

August 02, 2019

- The Police in Enugu has arrested a pastor for impregnating 20 of his female church members

- The pastor was said to have claimed that the Holy Spirit had commanded him to impregnate as many female members of the church as possible

- Timothy Ngwu also said the Holy spirit had given him the mandate to impregnate these women in his ministry irrespective of their marital status

A pastor has been arrested by the Nigeria Police for allegedly impregnating 20 members of his ministry in Enugu.

August 02, 2019

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. (WHTM) – A central Pennsylvania pastor is accused of having a collection of images depicting sexual abuse of children.

Stephen Dunn, 68, of Chambersburg, was charged last week with 10 felony counts of child pornography and a single felony count of criminal use of a communication facility.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro identified Dunn as a pastor.

“Pastors have a position of power and trust. Stephen Dunn of Franklin County broke the trust his community placed in him as their pastor when he was found with child pornography,” Shapiro said on Twitter. “The full force of my office will come to bear on him and anyone threatening the safety of Pennsylvania children.”

August 02, 2019

Ector County Sheriff Mike Griffis said over the phone Friday afternoon that a 62-year-old pastor has been charged with indecency with a child.

David Ray King was charged with indecency with a child by exposure, a third-degree felony.

Griffis said he didn’t know where King served as a pastor.

This case is an on-going investigation and more information will be released when possible, an Ector County Sheriff’s Office release stated.

August 02, 2019

A Quincy pastor was arrested Friday after being charged with two counts of lewd and lascivious behavior on a minor.

Arthur Ivey, 59, is being held at Gadsden County jail with no bond. Ivey is a preacher at Friendship Primitive Baptist Church. 

On Jan. 3, according to court documents, three children went to a child welfare facility and said they were touched by Ivey inappropriately.

Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office investigators responded to the alleged sexual battery of the three minors. Each child was interviewed and asked to recount the assaults.

August 02, 2019

A 2018 summer intern at Long Hollow Baptist Church was arrested last week on a statutory rape charge involving a student, the pastor says. 

Pastor Robby Gallaty, who leads the multi-site Southern Baptist church in Hendersonville, released a statement on the incident Sunday and is informing his congregation during morning services. 

August 02, 2019

BLUEFIELD — The pastor of a Bluefield church has been charged with sex crimes involving a 25-year-old mentally incapacitated man, Bluefield Police Department officials said Monday.

Anderson H. Martin II, of Bluefield, was indicted on third-degree sexual assault and second-degree sexual abuse last week by a Mercer County Grand Jury.

Martin is the pastor of the Greater Tabernacle of Faith Apostolic Church located at the corner of Preston and Bland streets, Detective-Sgt. K.L. Adams, with the Bluefield Police Department, said.

Adams said the victim is a 25-year-old male, but has the mental capacity of a 10- to 12- year-old.

August 02, 2019

CHICAGO — A Chicago pastor is facing multiple charges of child sexual abuse as prosecutors allege he abused two young girls inside of his home during tutoring sessions.

As a pastor at the Good Shepherd church of Chicago, prosecutors say 51-year-old Jeffrey Parks presented himself as a man of faith who helped children learn. But behind closed doors, they allege the pastor was a predator.

Parks was arrested after being identified as the man who abused two children on multiple occasions, according to police, and is now facing charges of felony predatory criminal assault of a victim under 13, and felony aggravated criminal abuse of a victim under 13. A judge ordered parks to be held on $100,000 bond, saying he was concerned about the alleged crimes and the young ages of the victims.

August 02, 2019

LAKE CHARLES, La. (BP) -- A former Southern Baptist pastor is jailed in Lake Charles, La., after allegedly raping and molesting a pre-teen girl for two years, the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office (CPSO) reported June 17.

John Michael Ward

Bellview Baptist Church in Westlake, La., fired 45-year-old John Michael Ward after his arrest, the church said in a statement released yesterday (June 19) by the Carey Baptist Association of Lake Charles.

August 02, 2019

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. —

A pastor from Franklin County is facing child pornography charges.

Stephen Dunn, 68, was charged last week. The charges followed an investigation into a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, according to a criminal complaint.

Advertisement

The complaint stated that agents with the attorney general's office searched Dunn's Chambersburg home on Thursday. Investigators found 50 printed photos that had transposed images of Dunn's face with what police said appeared to be transposed images of females, including juveniles, according to the complaint.

August 02, 2019

After being arrested for a second time, a Fullerton man who was a longtime pastor at several churches in Southern California has been charged with 11 felonies in connection with the sex abuse of seven children, authorities announced Monday.

The charges against John Rodgers McFarland include seven counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a minor under 14 years old, and four counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a minor between 14 and 15, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.

August 02, 2019

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - A North Charleston pastor is accused of sexually abusing a minor for years.

Karey Montrel Hewyard is accused of of performing lewd acts upon a minor inside a North Charleston home from 2012 through 2015, according to court records.

He is charged with criminal sexual conduct with a minor third degree, records state. Heyward is the lead pastor at Eternity Church in North Charleston, according to the church website.

Before that, he was a youth pastor at Kingdom City church in Summerville.

August 02, 2019

A former Southern Baptist pastor who once backed strict anti-abortion legislation in Texas has been charged with repeatedly molesting a teenage relative over the course of two years, sometimes several times a day, court records show.

Stephen Bratton, who stepped down last month from Grace Family Baptist Church in Houston, was arrested Friday after a juvenile relative said they had sex “multiple times a day or several times a week” between 2013 and 2015, Harris County Sheriff’s Office Senior Deputy Thomas Gilliland told the Houston Chronicle.

August 02, 2019

The Lagos State Police Command says it has arrested a pastor in the state for allegedly raping and impregnating a 15-year-old girl.

The Lagos State Police Command’s spokesperson, DSP Bala Elkana, said in a statement on Sunday, that the mother of the victim from Akure, Ondo State brought in the report.

According to him, the mother of the victim reported the alleged crime at Igando Police Station on July 2.

He said that the complainant alleged that sometime in August 2017, her daughter was brought to Lagos to live with the suspect and his wife.

“She stated further that she discovered that the survivor was pregnant sometime in June 2018 and that when she interrogated her, she mentioned the name of the suspect.

August 02, 2019

FOUR OAKS, N.C. (BP) -- Stephen Morris, pastor of Oliver's Grove Baptist Church in Four Oaks, N.C., was arrested July 5 and charged with five counts of statutory rape and five counts of taking indecent liberties with a child.

The victim, now 19 years old, reported the alleged crimes to police last month. The victim was 13 at the time of the abuse that allegedly occurred between June 2013 and June 2014. 

According to WRAL, authorities did not disclose whether any of the alleged acts occurred at Oliver's Grove or through its programs or ministries.

August 02, 2019

A Catholic priest in Michigan has been charged with child sex crimes as part of an ongoing investigation by the state's attorney general. It is suspected he engaged in criminal sexual conduct with a minor under the age of 13.

The Oakland Press reported Father Joseph 'Jack' Baker, the pastor of St. Perpetua Parish in Waterford, was arrested Monday by special agents from the attorney general's office.

The pastor faces charges of first-degree criminal conduct over sexual penetration with a person under 13 years old. The arrest came as the result of a tip-off from the Archdiocese of Detroit. Baker is the sixth priest in the area facing sex abuse charges as a result of the attorney general's investigation.

August 02, 2019

The pastor of a Baptist church in Alabama was arrested Friday, just days after confessing he’d molested at least one young boy from his congregation.

John Martin, the lead pastor of Lighthouse Baptist Church, confessed to four counts of sexual abuse on June 23. He was arrested on felony sex abuse charges Monday, after members of his church reported him to authorities, AL.com reported.

August 02, 2019

The Asunafo South District police command in the Ahafo Region has arrested a 29-years-old self-styled man of God for allegedly raping three women.

The incident happened at Akrodie in the Asunafo North Municipal.

The pastor, Daniel Abisah aka OGYABOFO of Adom Power Ministry reportedly arrived at Akrodie on 22nd July 2019 for a crusade which attracted several worshipers including his three victims aged 19 and 20.

The pastor on separate occasions during the open air crusade told each of his victims a bizarre life story that put fear into them to follow him to either his house or the guest house where he lodged.

To his first victim aged 19, the pastor told her the grandmother put on her waist spiritual beads which is hindering her progress in life and hard to find a husband.

August 02, 2019

A Florida minister has been charged with 500 counts of child pornography, reports CBS News.

According to Sarasota County Sheriff’s officials, Charles Andrews, 66, had the pornographic material on his personal computer.

August 02, 2019

ORIGINAL STORY: The Sarasota Police Department has arrested a pastor on charges of sexual battery of a girl under the age of 12.

According to an affidavit, the Manatee County Children Services received a report on July 25 from the little girl’s mother that 43-year-old Bicente Velasquez Morales had sexually battered her daughter.

The mother made the report after detectives say her daughter told her about the abuse.

The girl told Child Protective Services on Friday that Morales who is also her uncle sexually abused her three times.

August 02, 2019

A former pastor in western Riverside County was extradited to California this week on charges related to the sexual assault of a child nearly 30 years ago, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. ...

August 02, 2019

When she was 15 years old, Candy Orona Villalba’s pastor asked her to come live with her in a Broomfield apartment.

For the next three years, the pastor, Erika Gonzalez, sexually abused the teen, convinced her to drop out of school and said that Villalba would be punished by God if she left, Broomfield police and prosecutors allege in court documents.

“I don’t think there’s ever going to be a time that I heal from it,” Villalba, now 19, said in an interview Thursday with The Denver Post.

August 22, 2018

VICKSBURG, Miss (WJTV) - A Vicksburg minister has been indicted on three counts of statutory rape.

Methodist minister Troy Anthony Piccaluga was originally charged with those crimes back in March.

The investigation began after the Warren County Sheriff's Department received information that the minister had sex with an underaged girl.

Piccaluga was serving as the minister at Eagle Lake and Redwood Methodist churches.

August 21, 2018

A Winnipeg church says one of its pastors has been arrested by California police and charged with allegedly trying to set up a meeting to have sex with a minor.

Arrest records of the Arroyo Grande Police Department say Nathan George Rieger, 53, was arrested on Aug. 10. He was charged with arranging to meet with a minor for a sexual act and meeting with a minor for a sexual act.

July 31, 2018

An American pastor was arrested by Ugandan police for allegedly attacking a hotel employee in the name of Jesus on Friday, according to local reports. 

Jimmy Taylor, a missionary, was seen hitting, slapping, pushing, cursing and chasing down a staff member of the Grand Imperial Hotel in Kampala named Francis on Thursday night. He jumped over the front desk and followed Francis into the lobby area.

August 21, 2018

LAUDERHILL, Fla. - A pastor accused of sexually abusing his 13-year-old stepdaughter was arrested Saturday at an airport, according to Broward County jail records.

Avo Avard Roker, 32, faces charges of sexual battery on a victim under 18 years old. 

August 15, 2018

mith Jr. this week, more than a month after Grundy County deputies reported catching him inappropriately touching the girl.

After Smith’s June 1 arrest, Sheriff Clint Shrum says investigators found the Palmer Church of God pastor and the girl in a remote wooded area in his truck.

Investigators also found several different pills in a pill bottle.

Smith is charged with attempted rape of a child, aggravated sexual battery and possession of a controlled substance. It’s unclear whether he has a lawyer.

The Tennessee Church of God State Offices said in June that Smith had been suspended.

​

​

August 15, 2018

What's this item about? What makes it interesting? Write a catchy description to grab your audience's attention...

August 15, 2018

The trial of two Toledo area pastors charged in a child sex trafficking conspiracy will be held in Toledo, a federal judge ruled Thursday.

August 15, 2018

A former Wichita youth pastor pleaded guilty Friday to having sex with a 15-year-old girl while he worked at Word of Life Church.

August 15, 2018

Brownwood News – Local Pastor Fernando Hernandez was arrested Friday, July 27th, in Coleman on charges of Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Young Child and Indecency With a Child after probable cause affidavits were filed with the Precinct 4 Justice of Peace in Brown County on Wednesday, July 25th. The two affidavits, signed by Texas Ranger Jason Shea, list instances of sexual abuse perpetrated on at least two children, one was seven years old during an alleged incident with Hernandez.

August 15, 2018

Conway, SC (AP) - A former youth minister at a church in South Carolina has been arrested and accused of sexually assaulting several girls before he assumed the post.

News outlets reported that 64-year-old Norman Abernathy of Conway surrendered to Horry County police Wednesday. Abernathy is charged with two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor and three counts of second-degree assault and battery.

August 15, 2018

Ronnie Gorton, the former Munford pastor indicted in March for molesting two teens, was indicted for 44 more sex crimes last week.

August 15, 2018

BROWNWOOD, Texas -- (KXVA) -- Texas Rangers are investigating 50-year-old Fernando Hernandez, a pastor at It's a Challenge Church in Brownwood, Texas.

Hernandez was arrested in Coleman last Friday and has two Brownwood charges. This includes continuous sexual abuse and indecency of a child. According to jail records, Hernandez is out on a $50,000 bond.

August 15, 2018

A youth pastor in Wildomar, California, is in some serious trouble following allegations of sexual assault on juveniles.

Malo “Victor” Montiero of Colton, California, was arrested this past Friday after the Riverside Sheriff’s Department’s Lake Elsinore Station was able to locate and arrest Montiero, according to My Valley News. The 45-year-old, who is a youth pastor in the area, is accused of numerous felony charges that are related to sexual assault on juveniles whom he worked with.

August 15, 2018

Another day, another story regarding child sexual abuse perpetrated by a church pastor. On July 13th, Pastor Kevin Berry of First Christian Church of Sedgwick was arrested for a felony associated with lewd touching and fondling of a minor between the ages of 14 and 16. He was booked that evening, and by the following morning released on bail. In typical fashion, the church issued a statement supporting the Pastor and giving no mention to the victim:

August 15, 2018

A former Greeley pastor has been arrested on child sexual assault charges for engaging in an intimate relationship with an underage girl 20 years his junior.

Nison Yovani Lemus-Alvarez, 37, formerly the congregation leader of La Iglesia De Restoration Church, 3080 29th St., is charged with one count each of sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust and sexual assault on a child with a pattern of abuse, both felonies. The charges stem from an inappropriate relationship Lemus-Alvarez allegedly had with an underage member of his congregation who also volunteered for the church.

August 15, 2018

ev. Thomas J. Chantry, charged with child molestation, will begin a 13-day trial at the Yavapai County Superior Court in Camp Verde Tuesday, July 24.

Chantry, 47, was indicted in Yavapai County Superior Court on eight counts – five counts of child molestation and three of aggravated assault – for offenses committed in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when he worked at the Miller Valley Baptist Church.

August 15, 2018

Angel Mauricio Ruiz, who served as a pastor at Church Ministerio Cielos Abiertos, a church located in the Alexandria area of Fairfax County, has been charged with sexually assaulting a minor. He is being held without bond in Prince William County.

August 15, 2018

FRANKLIN -- A 38-year-old borough man and youth pastor at a church in Oak Ridge was arrested after authorities say he used social media apps to conduct sexually explicit chats with underage girls and had more than 100 images of child porn in his possession.

August 15, 2018

Former Manassas youth pastor and aspiring pop star Jordan Baird has been indicted on two additional sex abuse charges after serving a five-month conviction on similar charges earlier this year.

August 15, 2018

CONWAY, SC (WBTW) – The former youth pastor at a Conway church faces numerous charges of sex crimes against four young girls after they revealed the abuse that happened four years ago, according to a report from Horry County police.

Officers responded to Langston Baptist Church, located at 763 Highway 905, on June 27 to speak with the pastor who revealed allegations made against a youth pastor of the church. The pastor informed officers that two girls who attend the church told him they were sexually assaulted by Norman Abernathy, 58, of Conway, four to five years ago. In addition, two other possible victims were located and shared their stories with police.

August 15, 2018

A pastor at a central Minnesota church is facing charges after being accused of having a sexual relationship with a parishioner he was counseling.

According to the Stearns County Sheriff's Office, another church member told the Avon Police Department about three weeks ago that Charles Pelkey, pastor of Avon Community Church, was having a sexual relationship with a parishioner

August 15, 2018

A former youth pastor in Robertson County has been indicted on a charge of having sexual contact with a juvenile.

According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, James Clinton Jones, 38, was indicted last week on a charge of sexual contact with a minor/sexual contact by an authority figure.

August 15, 2018

Kevin Berry — a Sedgwick pastor charged with a child sex crime — has resigned from his position at First Christian Church of Sedgwick, a church official said.

Berry was on voluntary leave after being arrested and charged last month with aggravated indecent liberties with a child. The church publicly supported Berry throughout a 10-month investigation into the allegations and allowed him to be involved in at least one children’s activity after the church told parents he would not.

August 15, 2018

NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - A missionary and pastor charged with sexually assaulting a teen more than 20 years ago in Texas has ties to Arkansas.

Mark Aderholt, who was arrested earlier this month, served as a pastor at two Baptist churches in central Arkansas.

August 15, 2018

A Minnesota pastor resigned after confessing to an adulterous relationship with a married congregant. His resignation came after the congregant's husband reported him to police.

August 15, 2018

A Jersey City church pastor has been charged with sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl church member and fondling a relative -- and a source said the pastor has threatened at least one other victim with deportation if she told anyone.

August 13, 2018

ATOKA, TN (WMC) -

A former Mid-South pastor accused of raping two underage boys has been arrested, Tipton County Sheriff’s Office confirms.

Ronnie Gorton, the former worship leader at Awakening Church in Atoka, was arrested Tuesday afternoon. He is charged with 47 counts related to sexual abuse.

The charges include aggravated sexual battery of a victim under the age of 13, rape, sexual battery by an authority figure, enticing a child to buy alcohol, and sexual exploitation of a minor.

August 13, 2018

Edward Ignacio Espinosa, 41, was arrested on a Class B misdemeanor prostitution charge after he paid for sexual acts at a local massage parlor last year, according to an arrest affidavit.

March 21, 2018

One of the highest-ranking officials in the Catholic Church says sexually abused children can experience “a spiritual encounter with God through the priest” while being molested.

Australia’s most powerful clergy, Archbishop of Melbourne Denis Hart, says the Catholic practice of confession is satisfactory for dealing with pedophilia in the church as it helps priests absolve “their own guilt” after sexually abusing children.

March 19, 2018

Saeed Abedini, the Boise minister held in an Iranian prison for nearly three years, was arrested by Boise Police on Sunday on a misdemeanor charge of violating a no-contact order.

Abedini, 37, is scheduled to appear in court Monday, according to online court records.

In February 2017, Abedini pleaded guilty in Ada County Magistrate Court to violating a restraining order taken out by his estranged wife, Naghmeh.

Saeed Abedini grew up in Iran and is a former Muslim who converted to Christianity in 2000, moved to Idaho with Naghmeh in 2005 and became a dual U.S.-Iranian citizen in 2010. For some time in Iran, he organized underground “house churches,” where groups of Christians worshiped.

March 19, 2018

A pastor has been charged with the alleged sexual assault of an underage girl, San Bernardino police said.

Colton resident Harold Dien, 57, a pastor at a Seventh Day Adventist church, was charged Thursday with misdemeanor counts of sexual assault on a minor. Police say the assault occurred in Loma Linda, but not on church grounds.

The pastor also has a connection to Seventh Day Adventist churches in Upland and Orange County, said San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Cindy Bachman.

March 13, 2018

WINCHESTER — The Rev. Brian Sean Dicken, accused of taking indecent liberties with an underage girl he was counseling while employed at Church of Christ at Mountain View, turned himself in to the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday.

March 13, 2018

7, 2018 at 1:35 AM

The former pastor of a Medford church was solemn, weeping at one point and sniffling often, as he admitted in court Friday that he sexually assaulted or abused five minors over a 14-year period.

Harry L. Thomas, 74, of Queens Lane in Medford, will likely die in prison after he agreed to a plea deal before Superior Court Judge Jeanne T. Covert that would have him serve 15 to 20 years without parole.

Thomas, founder of the Come Alive New Testament Church on Old Marlton Pike, pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated sexual assault, three counts of sexual assault, and one count of endangering the welfare of a child

March 13, 2018

Former youth pastor Joshua Clemons has been charged with carrying on sexual relationships with three underage girls, and police say they expect that number to rise as victims come forward

March 13, 2018

A second man with ties to a Mesquite Baptist church — and the father of the man arrested last week — has been arrested on charges of sexually assaulting a child.

​

Larry Allen Winn, 65, was arrested Thursday on one count of sexual assault of a child. He was released from the Dallas County jail Monday after posting $25,000 bond

March 13, 2018

A teen is suing a Saginaw-area priest, accusing him of “grooming” the high school student with gifts and invitations to his condo, leading to inappropriate contact including back rubs, groping and suggestions to view gay porn.

The Rev. Robert DeLand was charged last month with criminal sexual conduct following accusations from two males, ages 17 and 21. Police say they have received other complaints since his arrest

March 13, 2018

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) _ A man has been charged with molesting children at two southwest Missouri swimming pools before becoming a youth pastor.

The Springfield News-Leader reports that 24-year-old Spenser Farr was charged this week with five counts of statutory sodomy. His attorney didn’t immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press.

March 13, 2018

The case against a Nigerian pastor charged with human trafficking is expected to resume in the Port Elizabeth Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.

The televangelist, who is now being represented by attorney Peter Daubermann, has been in jail since April 20 last year, following a dramatic arrest at the Port Elizabeth international Airport by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) and members of the police’s Tactical Response Team, on charges of human trafficking and rape

March 13, 2018

WACO, Texas (KWTX) Edward Espinosa, the former community outreach pastor at Waco’s Antioch Community Church, was in the McLennan County Jail Thursday charged with prostitution in the aftermath of raids in December on two local massage parlors from which video evidence was recovered

March 13, 2018

A 7-year-old’s allegation that a Winter Haven pastor exposed his “private spot” to her led to the man admitting he raped a preteen girl in the 1990s, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office says.

David Cooper, 43, faces a charge of sexual battery on a victim under 12 in the older case and a charge of lewd and lascivious exhibition on a victim under 12 in the case from the last few months

March 13, 2018

The former pastor of the Thompson Christian Centre Fellowship has been charged with sexual assault, and church leadership is urging other potential victims to come forward.

RCMP arrested Arnie Wayne Pedersen last November for an alleged sexual assault that occurred in July, according to court documents. Pedersen was no longer working at the church at that time.   

In mid-December, leadership of the church in Thompson, Man., along with the Mennonite Brethren Church of Manitoba (MBCM), issued a letter to the three dozen congregants of the church alerting them to Pedersen's criminal charge.

March 13, 2018

Parishioners say Pastor George Gregory was behind the pulpit of his West Homestead church Sunday, just days after police say they found him in a car with a naked man.

Gregory, the pastor Waterfront Christian Community Church, is facing criminal charges after he and another man were found in a car parked on a quiet residential street in Lincoln Place on Friday night.

A neighbor who didn’t want to go on camera told Channel 11 his three-year-old daughter’s bedroom overlooks that part of the road. While he was calling 911, his wife saw one of the men get out of the car completely naked.

March 13, 2018

NEW PORT RICHEY (FOX 13) - A Pasco County pastor is accused of forcing a 17-year-old girl into a series of sexual encounters by telling her she has multiple personalities, one of which was possessed by a demon that he could help pray away.

Gerardo Martinez, 52, was arrested last week and charged with multiple counts of sexual battery.

"It's pretty heinous. It is graphic the way everything happened," said Sgt. Jason Hatcher with the Pasco County Sheriff's Office.

by Taboola 

Sponsored Links 

Ad Content

6 Tips to Make Your Home’s Exterior Spring to LifeJames Hardie

According to investigators, the "graphic" encounters occurred between April and October 2017. The teenager told deputies about what happened in Decembe

March 13, 2018

An assistant youth pastor for a Mesquite church was arrested by Mesquite police on Feb. 22 for sexual assault of a child.

According to Mesquite PD, on Feb. 18 the department received a report of a possible sexual assault of a teenage girl. The investigation revealed that Steven Aaron Winn, 33, of Crandall had an ongoing sexual relationship with a 15-16 year old girl over the course of the last 14 months. Winn is an assistant youth pastor at the Open Door Baptist Church in Mesquite, and the victim is a student at the church’s private school. 

March 13, 2018

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — A 36-year-old youth pastor is charged with sex abuse of a child under the age of 12 and second degree sodomy, according to Tuscaloosa authorities.

Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit says a 14-year-old told deputies that Christopher Cody Stutts sexually assaulted her over the past 3 years. Investigators found probable cause on Monday and Stutts is now being held on $40,000 bond.

March 13, 2018

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- A former youth pastor and registered sex offender is accused of molesting a 14-year-old girl.

The United States Attorney announced 51-year-old Maurice Frazier is facing numerous felony charges of sexual exploitation of a child and possession of child pornography.

The suspect met the victim while working with Nazarene Missionary Baptist Church on 38th St.

"He's like a son to me so I'm very disappointed in him," said pastor James Williamson.

March 13, 2018

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A high-profile church pastor was charged with sexually assaulting two young sisters while he was in Murfreesboro for a religious conference.

Florida pastor David Rowan was arrested there Tuesday. He's was indicted on rape, unlawful sexual contact and sexual battery by an authority figure.

The arrest stemmed from an alleged incident here in Middle Tennessee back in 2014. Rowan was as a guest speaker at a religious convention in Murfreesboro.

Sex crimes detectives said he convinced the parents of two girls to let him take them to lunch. The family was seeking spiritual guidance from Rowan and trusted him.

March 13, 2018

ATOKA, Tenn. – A Tipton County pastor was booked into jail Tuesday afternoon, one day after a grand jury indicted him on 47 charges related to sexually abusing minors.

Ronnie Gorton, the former pastor of Awakening Church in Atoka, has been accused by three people so far, Tipton County Sheriff Chief Deputy Billy Daugherty confirmed.

One of Gorton’s alleged victims was under the age of 13, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Walking into jail Tuesday, 39-year-old Gorton kept his head down and wouldn’t answer reporters’ questions.

March 13, 2018

Denver Police arrested a former Parker church youth pastor and Denver Public Schools teacher on a charge of sexual assault on a child Tuesday and are asking any other victims to come forward.

Joshua Clemons, 35, was taken into custody by DPD on a single charge of sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust. Since his arrest, two more identical charges were filed by the Parker Police Department.

March 13, 2018

A Louisiana pastor who is perhaps best known for erecting the third-largest cross in the U.S. (despite the fact that it originally violated zoning laws) was just arrested for possession of methamphetamines.
 

March 13, 2018

A Wichita youth pastor is in jail as of Friday evening. Chauncey Walker is accused of juvenile sex crimes.

Walker was arrested and booked into jail in August. He was charged with one count of aggravated indecent liberties with a child and two counts of criminal sodomy with a child.

Walker is now listed in a lawsuit filed by a woman who says he sexually abused her and raped her for several years.The lawsuit says Walker was the youth pastor at "Ground Zero" where he oversaw programs and activities for young teens. It also says he was the girls' soccer coach for the school at Word of Life Church.

It says the woman participated in the church services and community programs offered by the church

March 13, 2018

DORCHESTER COUNTY, S.C. (WCIV) — Caleb Lide Jordan, 30, was arrested and charged with four counts of exploitation of a minor, including solicitation of a minor for sex.

The current Charleston-area real estate agent and former youth pastor at NewSpring Charleston was arrested in late February after an investigation by local and state law enforcement.

A former member of NewSpring reached out to ABC News 4 to reveal Jordan’s role at the church and her concerns.

“I volunteered at NewSpring’s youth ministry called Fuse, which was every Wednesday night, and Caleb Jordan was the boys youth pastor at Fuse,” said the woman, who wished to remain 

November 21, 2017

Bishop Wayne Jones was a righteous pastor at the Mt. Ararat Spiritual Baptist Church.

Or he was a sleazy, voodoo-hoodoo sexual predator.

Could be, he was both.

Four women, former parishioners, claim Jones extorted sex as either purifying ritual, to purge them of evil spirits, as a rite of exorcism intrinsic to their Trinidadian-based charismatic faith, or, in one case, as a blunt weapon — a threat — to coerce sex, otherwise he’d rat her out to authorities as an illegal immigrant living in Toronto.

Three of those complainants have taken the stand this week at Jones’ trial on charges of sexual assault, administering noxious substances and theft. They are all “historical witnesses,” meaning their allegations of incidents occurred ages ago — between 1986 and 1996 — and they came forward only after the Scarborough pastor was charged in 2014 with sexually assaulting another woman, convincing her to give him money and property during “spiritual guidance” sessions, which included the aforementioned exorcisms over a two-year period, 2011 to 2013.

November 21, 2017

It’s a sin to bear false witness, but that didn’t stop a Minnesota pastor from allegedly impersonating a police officer and pepper spraying a teenager.

Keith Haskell, a pastor at Bridges of Hope Community Church in Owatonna, faces numerous criminal charges for an alleged incident involving two teenagers, according to Minneapolis TV station WCCO.

One of the teens, Abraam Rodriguez, said he and his cousin were at a local grocery on Sept. 4 when his cousin shoplifted $10 worth of snacks.

Haskell later told officers he witnessed the theft and followed the teens outside to write down their license plate number. He continued to follow them after they drove off in their SUV. 

Rodriguez told the news station that he quickly figured out he was being followed and pulled the vehicle into a parking lot because he didn’t want anyone to know where he lived.

Witnesses told officers they heard Haskell identify himself as a police officer while trying to pull the teens out of their SUV.

The cousin allegedly swung at Haskell, who then pepper-sprayed him before running off. Although Haskell claims he used the pepper spray in self-defense, he’s facing a felony charge for unlawfully using tear gas, according to City Pages.

November 21, 2017

DAYTON, Ohio - An Ohio pastor, arrested in Dayton, was found guilty earlier this year for loitering to engage in solicitation, according to court records.

​

Daniel P. Williams, 40, of Huber Heights, was found guilty in late August after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor count of loitering, according to Dayton Municipal Court.

Williams’ employer is listed as Arrowbrook Baptist Church in Xenia in both court record and the police report. The church’s website also lists Williams as its pastor.

November 21, 2017

ADAMS COUNTY, Colo. -- A former assistant pastor was sentenced to 13 years in prison Tuesday for sexually assaulting a girl that initially was covered up by church leaders and the girl's father, the 17th Judicial District Attorney's Office said.

Robert Wyatt, 51, repeatedly sexually assaulted the now-15-year-old girl whose family attended Agape Bible Church in Thornton, prosecutors said.

Wyatt gained trust from the girl and her parents, and got access by home-schooling her in his residence.

The girl told investigators the inappropriate touching started when she was 12 and had been going on for nearly two years.

In March 2016, Wyatt offered to take the girl on a field trip but instead they went to a hotel where he sexually assaulted her, prosecutors said.

November 21, 2017

A Cloverdale pastor and his wife who are facing a string of sexual assault charges appeared in Surrey Provincial court for the first time on Tuesday.

​

An arraignment date for Samuel and Madelaine Emerson has been set for Nov. 21.

The Emersons face a total of 28 charges including sexual assault, sexual touching of a person under 16, and threats to cause death or bodily harm.

November 21, 2017

DANVILLE, KY (WTVA) A pastor from Monroe County, Mississippi is accused of traveling to Kentucky to meet a teenager for sex.

Michael Shane Cruse of Columbus was arrested Saturday, October 28 in Danville, Kentucky.

Officers say Cruse started an online chat with a 16-year-old teen, then arranged to meet and have sex with the boy. WTVA-TV reports this was part of an online undercover operation conducted by the Boyle County Sheriff's Office in Kentucky.

Cruse is described on his Facebook page as the pastor and founder at Restoration Life Church in Hamilton.

Cruse is charged with an unlawful transaction with a minor-1st degree-illegal sex act, victim under 18 years of age and/or prohibited use of an electronic communication system to procure sex from a minor.

He is out on bond.

November 21, 2017

A longtime Indiana pastor arrested last month on charges of sexually molesting several underage girls after luring them to his office with candy tried to commit suicide on Friday.

Pastor Garry Evans, 72, led Rushville Baptist Temple in Rushville, Indiana, for some 30 years before he was arrested and charged with three counts of child molestation, four counts of sexual battery and five counts of child solicitation last month after he was accused by a 3-year-old girl of sexual abuse.

November 21, 2017

A former McAllen pastor has been charged with indecency with a child—again.

Elliot James Wickboldt was charged with indecency with a child with sexual contact, a second-degree felony, on Nov. 1.

November 21, 2017

A prominent pastor, who has a church in the Silverglen area, was charged for sexual assault and was due to appear in the Chatsworth Magistrate’s Court, last week, following allegations of sexual misconduct by a congregant of his church.

ALSO READ: Nine men to spend life in prison

According to the commander of the Chatsworth Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit, Col Ellappen, the woman, who is about 27-years-old, claimed the pastor tried to lift up her skirt and undress her top, but she managed to fight him off and escape.

November 21, 2017

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A Canby pastor is out of jail on bail after being arrested on charges of sex abuse involving a minor.

​

Lee Philip Wiegand, 63, is charged with 9 counts of 2nd-degree sex abuse for alleged crimes that happened in 2011-2012 involving a minor that he knew, according to Canby police.

Police said Wiegand was a pastor at First Baptist Church and School, but the alleged sex abuse is not related to the church or school.

Prosecutors allege his victim did not consent to the sexual contact and according to investigators, Wiegand had absolute power over her.

He posted bail, which was set at $100,000.

When approached for comment, Wiegand declined and said, “My attorney said not to talk about it.”

November 21, 2017

Three Ohio pastors already facing charges of sex trafficking underage girls were slapped with a new indictment Tuesday that alleges they conspired to exploit their victims. They all pleaded not guilty to the crimes that could keep them behind bars for the rest of their lives.

Last month, Pastor Kenneth Butler, 37, of Kingdom Encounter Family Worship Center in Toledo, Ohio, was arrested and slapped with federal sex trafficking charges, joining the Rev. Cordell Jenkins, 46, and the Rev. Anthony Haynes, 38, behind bars.

September 13, 2017

HENRIETTA, N.Y. — Paul Burress, a charismatic, in-your-face pastor who gained fame for operating a fight club in his house of worship, has been accused of forcibly touching two women.

Burress was for years a pastor at Victory Church, a large nondenominational Christian church. The Victory website does not list Burress as being among its leadership team, and the telephone went unanswered there Monday morning.

Burress, 43, is a mixed-martial arts fighter as well as a minister, and received a great deal of publicity when he was featured in Fight Church, a 2014 documentary.

On Friday morning, however, he was arrested by Monroe County sheriff's deputies on two counts of forcible touching, according to Sheriff's Office spokesman Cpl. John Helfer. Helfer verified the person arrested was the minister noted for his "Fight Church" activities.

The charges arose from separate incidents in February, Helfer said. The complainants are adult females.

September 08, 2017

A 40-year old former pastor charged with sexual abuse of a 10-year-old girl has been additionally charged with multiple counts of sexual abuse and rape involving the 10-year-old and three additional children, all under the age of 12 years old.

Daniel Gene Little, 40, of 1563 Jerusalem Road, has been charged with 13 counts of felony sexual offense with a child, 11 counts felony child abuse by committing a sexual act, two counts of felony rape of a child, two counts felony incest with a child younger than 13 and indecent liberties with a child.’

Little is the former pastor of Yadkin College Baptist Church in Lexington. In May, he was charged with felony first-degree sex offense sexually assaulting a female juvenile under the age of 17.

At that time, Little was placed in the Davidson County Detention Center under a $150,000 secured bond. Since then, Little had posted bond and was out awaiting trial.

According to information provided by the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office, on Sept. 5 the sheriff’s office was contacted by the Davidson County Department of Social Services and made aware that three additional juveniles, two males and one female, had come forward and alleged that they were also sexually assaulted by Little.

August 24, 2017

COLUMBUS (WCMH) – An east side pastor is jailed, accused of sexually assaulting three young girls in his church office.

Pastor Guillermo Quintanilla, from The El Shadai Church of God on South Hamilton Rd. is charged with rape, sexual battery and two counts of gross sexual imposition.

According to court documents, the first accusation emerged in June when a mother told police Quintanilla had molested her daughter approximately two times a week over a four-year span, beginning when the girl was 8-years-old.

The police complaint also details allegations of Quintanilla pushing one of the victims to the floor of his office, “smacking her in the face numerous times, threatening to rape her, threatening to kill her and her mom” if she told anyone.

Two other victims came forward also alleging assaults at the hands of Quintanilla, when they were as young as six and eight years old, according to court filings.

August 24, 2017

HURST -- Police have arrested a Hurst pastor for two counts of continuous sexual abuse of a child.

Jose Francisco Bernal, 52, was arrested Wednesday at his home in North Richland Hills.

Two adult females told police that Bernal abused them when they were juveniles and living in Hurst between 2007 and 2013. Bernal was their pastor at the Tabernaculo De Vida Pentecostal Church in Fort Worth.

Bernal is in the Hurst jail with his bond set at a total of $100,000.

If you have any information about Bernal or more victims, call Sgt. Lonnie Brazzel at (817) 788-7175.

August 24, 2017

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — A Houston pastor has been charged with sexually abusing a child repeatedly over the course of several years, reports CBS affiliate KHOU.

Investigators say the child told a family member that Hollis Vaughn, 66, about the alleged abuse. Vaughn was arrested Thursday and charged with first-degree felony charge of continuous sexual abuse of a child. 

The Harris County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that it is investigating whether there are any additional victims.

Vaughn is a pastor for two church groups that operate out of his home: God's Awesome Army Ministry and El Shaddaj World Outreach Church.

Vaughn has been released on a $100,000 bond.  

August 24, 2017

PHILLIPSBURG, Kan. A former Phillipsburg pastor is charged with child sex crimes.

Pastor David Pugh resigned from Phillipsburg's First Assembly of God Church in May.

Prosecutors say the crimes for which he's accused happened between November 2016 and March 2017. These charges range from indecent liberties with a child to sexual exploitation of a child.

We do not know if Pugh's position as pastor had anything to do with what prosecutors say happened. Police arrested Pugh earlier this month. He has since bonded out of jail.

On Wednesday, Eyewitness News did get a hold of Pugh briefly over the phone. Pugh said he did not want to comment at this time.

Eyewitness News looked into Pugh's background and found he had also served as a pastor in Iowa before moving to Kansas.

August 11, 2017

According to the lawsuit, from 2014 to 2015 four male students at Brentwood Academy in Williamson County, Tennessee, “conspired to engage in male on male sexual harassment, sexual assault and/or rape upon John Doe in the locker room not supervised by an adult,” adding that one of the students “would place his penis before John Doe and forcibly penetrated it into the mouth of Plaintiff John Doe without consenting claiming ‘eat it, eat it, eat it, open your mouth, accept it.”

The same student also allegedly bragged that he “f*cked that boy up the ass and stuck a Gatorade bottle in him.”

The school’s headmaster, Curtis G. Masters, allegedly told the victim to “turn the other cheek” and that everything in God’s kingdom happens for a reason.” He also allegedly brushed off the assaults as “boys being boys” and claimed he couldn’t effectively run a school and look into the allegations at the same time.

August 09, 2017

A former youth pastor who recently served five years in Illinois prison for sexually abusing several young girls is now facing similar charges stemming from a stint in Duluth more than a decade ago.

Ellis William Simmons, 38, is accused of assaulting two girls between 1999 and 2005, when he was living and working in Duluth. The girls were 11 and 14 years old at the time of the reported incidents.

August 09, 2017

COLUMBUS (WCMH) – An east side Columbus pastor is jailed, accused of sexually assaulting three young girls in his church office.

Pastor Guillermo Quintanilla, from The El Shadai Church of God on South Hamilton Rd. is charged with rape, sexual battery and two counts of gross sexual imposition.

According to court documents, the first accusation emerged in June when a mother told police Quintanilla had molested her daughter approximately two times a week over a four-year span, beginning when the girl was 8-years-old.

The police complaint also details allegations of Quintanilla pushing one of the victims to the floor of his office, “smacking her in the face numerous times, threatening to rape her, threatening to kill her and her mom” if she told anyone.

May 04, 2017

DOVER, Tenn. (WZTV) — The Stewart County Sheriff's Office said a man was charged after having sexual contact with a girl while she was sleeping.

Steven Waller, 51, is charged with aggravated sexual battery involving a minor. Waller is a pastor at the Dover First Church of the Nazarene.

Investigators said Waller admitted during an interview to having sexual contact with a girl under the age of 18 while she was sleeping. The day of the interview he was charged with aggravated sexual battery and bond was set at $75,000.

May 04, 2017

Port Elizabeth - Hundreds of people gathered outside the Port Elizabeth Magistrate's Court on Wednesday ahead of the bail application of a Nigerian pastor.

The pastor, who cannot be named until he has been asked to plead, was based in Durban when he was arrested at the Port Elizabeth airport by the Hawks on April 21. He has been in custody for the past 12 days.

He was originally charged with two counts of human trafficking and two counts of sexual assault.

His appearance in court 22 for his formal bail application was delayed on Wednesday after a further 18 counts were added to the docket, bringing the total charges against him to 22.

May 04, 2017

FAIRMONT — The pastor at St. James Lutheran Church in Northrop has been charged with possessing child pornography, a felony.

Robert Cairl Trueblood, 56, of Fairmont is charged with possession of pornographic material on a work computer, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

According to the complaint:

On March 7, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension received a tip from the company Chatstep. According to company representatives, a user identified as “PervyPastor” accessed a chat room through the service and uploaded a photographic image identified to be consistent with child pornography. Chatstep provided information about the user’s IP address, and indicated the incident occurred on March 7, at about 4:14 p.m.

May 04, 2017

WEST CHESTER, Pa. (AP) — A suburban Philadelphia pastor accused of sexually assaulting and impregnating a teenager has pleaded guilty and been sentenced to three to six years in prison after a judge rejected an earlier plea agreement as too lenient.

Thirty-five-year-old Jacob Malone, of Exton, was sentenced Friday after entering guilty pleas to institutional sex assault, corruption of minors and child endangerment. He also must register as a sex offender for 15 years.

May 04, 2017

May 02, 2017 02:00 PM

A Northrop pastor is facing a felony charge of possessing child pornography.

According to the criminal complaint, Robert Cairl Trueblood, the pastor at St. James Lutheran Church, is charged with possessing pornographic material involving a minor on a work computer - a felony charge that carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and/or a $5,000 fine.

The complaint states that on March 7, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Internet Crimes Against Children Unit received a tip from the company Chatstep stating that a user identified as "PervyPastor" had accessed a chat room through the service and uploaded an image identified by company representatives as being consistent with child pornography.

May 04, 2017

A former youth director at a local church was arrested earlier this month.

Tate Pigg was arrested on April 8th for sexual assault of a child, and two counts of purchasing or furnishing alcohol to a minor.

Pinnacle Church says that Pigg was their former youth director but has not been an employee of or attended the church since late last year.

May 04, 2017

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – A Hillsborough pastor was arrested on Monday after an investigation revealed he sexually battered a 17-year-old victim for several years.

Hillsborough detectives say Walter Chuquimia, 59, who was employed as a pastor at Beth-El Farmwork Ministry, was accused of sexually battering the victim multiple times dating back to 2011.

May 04, 2017

ROXBURY (CBS) — Boston Police arrested a pastor Tuesday who they say had a large stash of drugs and cash, as well as thousands of dollars worth of stolen property.

Willie Wilkerson, 58 of Dorchester, is facing several drug trafficking charges. He is the pastor and owner of Mission Church and Victoria’s Kitchen Food Trailer in Roxbury.

April 30, 2017

DOVER, Tenn. (WZTV) — The Stewart County Sheriff's Office said a man was charged after having sexual contact with a girl while she was sleeping.

Steven Waller, 51, is charged with aggravated sexual battery involving a minor. Waller is a pastor at the Dover First Church of the Nazarene.

April 30, 2017

WIMAUMA, FL — The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office has announced the arrest of a pastor at Beth-El Farmworker Ministry on sexual battery charges. The Rev. Walter Chuquimia, 59, is accused of battering a now 17-year-old child on multiple occasions dating back to 2011

April 10, 2017

HURST - An associate pastor for a church in the Mid Cities has been arrested on child porn allegations.

Officers were called to a Best Buy in the 800 block of Northeast Mall Boulevard just before 9 p.m. Thursday after employees found what appeared to be child pornography on a customer's computer.

Police discovered that the computer belonged to James Rankin, 78, an associate pastor at Bellevue Baptist Church in Hurst. He was arrested and charged with possession of child pornography, which is a third degree felony.

He's being held in the Hurst Municipal Jail on a $5,000 bond.

April 10, 2017

TURLEY, Okla. (KTUL) — A north Tulsa pastor has been arrested in the same child porn investigation that led to the arrest of a Tulsa private school principal.

Ronald Robinson, a minister in Turley and director of the Third Place Community Foundation, was arrested after admitting to investigators that he had viewed child porn in an online application. He also told detectives that he fantasized about raping and hurting children, according to federal court documents.

April 10, 2017

TOLEDO, Ohio -- The FBI has arrested a Toledo church’s pastor and another man on charges of sex trafficking of children. 

Cordell Jenkins, 46, and Anthony Haynes, 37, were taken into custody by FBI agents at their Toledo homes early on Friday morning, CBS affiliate WTOL-TV reports.  

Jenkins is the pastor of Abundant Life Ministries in Toledo, WTOL-TV reports. Haynes rented a space at the University Bible Fellowship as the pastor of Greater Life Christian Center until 2016.

March 08, 2017

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A pastor at a Providence church was arrested and accused of child molestation, and police believe there may be other victims out there.

The pastor, 33-year-old Roy Bolden, was arrested Tuesday night after a 21-year-old man went to police on Friday and told them the disturbing details including the fact that he was molested by his pastor for 6 years starting when he was just 12-years-old.

March 08, 2017

A youth pastor in Florida was arrested Tuesday in connection with the murder and dismembering of a 16-year-old boy in 1994, as FBI investigators reportedly scoured through two properties he owned.

October 14, 2016

A Pennsylvania pastor faces nearly 170 criminal charges after he allegedly impregnated a 15-year-old girl from his youth group during a seven-month sexual relationship, authorities said.

Wesley Blackburn, 35, was arrested after his wife told Faith Brethren Bible Church’s head pastor last Thursday that her husband had confessed to what was called an “affair,”

December 28, 2016

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - According to Lyle, Kelley is married with three children of his own and was a volunteer for five years before the church hired him in 2015.

February 09, 2017

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - A Charlotte-area pastor is accused of using his work as a preacher to target vulnerable women and abuse them.

Investigative reporter Paul Boyd found seven women who said there's another side to John Yelton.

YouTube videos of the preacher showed he is very energetic behind the pulpit, and Channel 9 confirmed that he spent time at a church in Gastonia, formerly known as Canaan Land Baptist Church.

Yelton said he's traveled throughout North Carolina, preaching "the word of God."

But April Justice and the other women said this preacher is actually a predator.

"It was a nightmare," Justice said.

Justice said she was approached by Yelton on Facebook a year ago. She said his page had photos showing he was an ordained pastor.

"He says, 'I'm a pastor,' and I was, like, OK. And he said, 'How would you feel like being a pastor's wife?'" Justice said.

December 28, 2016

STOCKTON -- Police in Stockton have arrested a pastor accused of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl, officers said Wednesday.

According to a post on the Stockton Police Department Facebook page, 51-year-old Oscar Rodriguez was arrested Friday.

Police did not say which church Rodriguez was a pastor at, but believe there may be more victims.

February 09, 2017

YORKTOWN, Ind. – Police arrested a Yorktown pastor who admitted he’d had sex with a teenage girl he was counseling.

According to court documents, Terry Dobbs, 53, gave police a full confession after being confronted about his activities with the teen. Dobbs is pastor of Old Fashion United Baptist Church in Yorktown.

Police first learned about Dobbs and the teenager on Dec. 2, when they were contacted about a possible sexual relationship between the two.

February 07, 2017

LONG BEACH, Long Island (WABC) --

A priest on Long Island who was arrested on child pornography and drug charges has lost his job.

Christopher King, 51, served as pastor at St. James Episcopal on Penn Street in Long Beach.

He was taken into custody Friday after investigators searched the rectory and found disturbing materials.

According to court documents, police allegedly found child pornography videos of at least five boys. Four of them were between ages 2 and 6.

March 01, 2017

A former Salem pastor was only one day into standing trial for raping and sodomizing a young congregation member when he decided to plead guilty rather than continue with the remaining two days of the trial.

Mauricio Aguilera-Garcia, 56, of Salem, was sentenced to 37 years and six months in prison after Marion County Judge Susan Tripp accepted his guilty pleas.

The jury had only heard testimony from the victim — who was about 13-years-old when Aguilera-Garcia sexually assaulted her multiple times — when Aguilera-Garcia decided to plead guilty to three counts of second-degree rape, two counts of second-degree sodomy and unlawful second-degree sexual penetration.

​

Mauricio Aguilera-Garcia, 55, is arraigned on 25 charges, including second-degree rape, second-degree sodomy and second-degree unlawful sexual penetration, at the Marion County Court Annex in Salem on Thursday, July 7, 2016.The former pastor at Our Father's House church in Salem was held on a $2 million bail.

"During that part of her childhood, the defendant was the victim's church pastor and a close family friend," the Marion County District Attorney's Office said in a statement.

February 22, 2017

BOYNE CITY, Mich. (WPBN/WGTU)--A 49-year-old Boyne City man was arrested after police say he recorded videos of two teenagers taking showers while they were staying at his house.

According to the Boyne City Police Department, the girls, ages 15 and 18, were staying at the man's house with their parents and other siblings. 

Police say the man set up a recording device in a bathroom where the two girls were showering.

Police say one of the girls discovered the recording and reported it to their parents. The parents then reported it to the Boynce City Police and turned over the videos for evidence.

February 27, 2017

A former pastor will serve 10 years in prison for sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl.

The sex crimes occurred in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1990, years before the former Seventh-day Adventist pastor lived in North Carolina and led churches in Shelby and Lincolnton.

Michael Wayne Hill, 54, was arrested two years ago

According to Florida news stations, the girl, who reported the crime to police in 2002, said Hill was a friend of her parents. She said Hill came to her house in Jacksonville to pick up pet supplies. The girl told police that Hill started talking about sex and then fondled her. She told police he left then came back an hour later and molested her again and raped her.

There is no statute of limitations in child sex crimes in Florida.

February 23, 2017

A Redding pastor charged with 31 criminal counts, including 22 felonies alleging he molested three girls over a seven-year span, won't be having his preliminary hearing anytime soon.

James Gladwell Crawford, who has been released from Shasta County Jail after his bail was set last week at $1 million, was back in Shasta County Superior Court on Thursday where his preliminary hearing scheduled for next week was postponed because his defense attorney will be in trial.

March 01, 2017

MANAGUA, Nicaragua -- A 25-year-old woman died Tuesday after she was thrown into a fire to drive “demons” from her body, Nicaraguan authorities said, quoting witnesses as saying she was stripped naked, burned and thrown into a gully.

Officials said the woman, Vilma Trujillo Garcia, suffered burns over 80 percent of her body.

February 08, 2017

TEXARKANA, Ark. (KTHV) - A Texarkana fire captain and pastor has been arrested and charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child.

According to the Bowie County Sheriff's Office, 49-year-old David Michael Akin turned himself in after a warrant for his arrest was released.

On January 28, deputies responded to reports of a sexual assault of a 5-year-old girl. Her parents said on November 12, 2016 their daughter was being watched by Akin's daughter as a babysitter.

A week later, the mother of the 5-year-old noticed her daughter had an infection near her vagina. The mother took her daughter to the doctor where it was later found the 5-year-old had contracted gonorrhea.

​

February 28, 2017

A Lancaster County pastor and teacher were sentenced in county court Monday for their roles in a toddler abuse case at a Clay Township church day care, according to the Lancaster County district attorney's office.

Cynthia A. Ebersole was accused of slapping a 14-month-old boy three times in the face and holding her hand over his mouth at Grace Point Learning Center and Academy on Nov. 16, 2015. The day care facility is located at Grace Point Church of the Nazarene, 110 Durlach Road.

Police said a parent witnessed the incident, which was reported to day care administrator Pastor Robert Donald Smith

February 28, 2017

SMITHFIELD, N.C. — A North Carolina church youth coordinator is accused of raping an underage church member in an elementary school parking lot, WTVD reports.

Michael Todd Jansco, 24, has been charged with statutory rape and removed from his position at the church.

A deputy doing a routine building check early Sunday morning at River Dell Elementary School in Clayton, North Carolina, noticed an SUV parked between the bus area and cafeteria.

When the deputy approached, he allegedly found Jansco naked under a blanket with an undressed minor.

March 03, 2017

MONTANDON -- The former pastor of a Northumberland County Baptist church has admitted distributing child pornography.

The Rev. Thomas M. Marker, 58, of the Montandon area, pleaded guilty Thursday in county court to a charge of disseminating child pornography.

March 02, 2017

BEDFORD (WSLS) The Bedford pastor who ran the now-closed Grace House shelter spent time jail this week. As you may remember, the shelter recently closed because of a lack of money.

Josh Ball was booked into Bedford Adult Detention Center on two charges for separate incidents. One for assault and battery and also for writing a bad check.

February 23, 2017

GRANTS PASS, Ore. - Grants Pass authorities have arrested a Grants Pass man following allegations of sexual abuse.

Michael Lewis, 51, was reportedly a pastor at now defunct Christ Fellowship Church in Grants Pass when the alleged sexual abuse occurred.

Earlier this month, detectives began investigating the case in which it is alleged that between July 2014 and November 2016, Lewis subjected a juvenile female church member to sexual contact.

March 03, 2017

STONEWALL, LA (KSLA) -

An ArkLaTex youth pastor and North DeSoto High School student have been arrested and charged with pornography involving juveniles, according to the Desoto Parish Sheriff's Office.​

Detective Adam Ewing says they arrested 25-year-old Zachary Almarode on Thursday night along with 18-year-old Lauren Maschino.

Ewing says the arrests came as the result of a tip from a"concerned subject" about possible inappropriate contact on school property between a youth minister and a student. Investigators determined that the contact did not take place on school property, but child pornography was allegedly found on cellular devices belong to both Almarode and Maschino. 

Almarode works as a youth pastor at Salem Baptist Church in Stonewall and was approaching his third anniversary on the job. Pastor Dr. Mike Hawkins confirmed Friday morning that Almarode was terminated from that position after word of the arrest.

February 21, 2017

CHESTER COUNTY, Tenn. — A Henderson pastor and teaching assistant is charged with raping a woman after tying her up at his home, according to court documents.

​

Mike Ulmer is charged with two counts of rape and one count of sexual battery, according to an affidavit. He appeared Tuesday in court and entered a not guilty plea.

​

Ulmer is the pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Henderson, according to his attorney, Mark Donahoe.

February 28, 2017

A pastor at a small Baptist church near Hillsboro was arrested Monday for allegedly engaging in sexual conduct with a child, according to media reports and a news release.

The Rev. Benjamin William Nelson, 28, was charged with two felony counts of sexual assault of a child and one Class A misdemeanor charge of deadly conduct, a news release said.

March 07, 2017

JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. - Investigators announced Tuesday that a dismembered body found at a Lake City gas station 23 years ago was identified last year as a 16-year-old Nassau County boy who had been reported missing from Jacksonville and that they had arrested a Jacksonville Beach man in connection with his death.

Ronnie Leon Hyde, 60, is charged with the 1994 murder of Fred Laster, and the FBI and Jacksonville Sheriff's Office began exhaustive searches Tuesday of Hyde's homes on Fourth Street in Jacksonville Beach and Thelma Street in Jacksonville's Talleyrand neighborhood.

February 27, 2017

LAFOLLETTE, Tenn (WATE) – A LaFollette pastor was charged with statutory rape, statutory rape by an authority figure and sexual battery.

Jimmy Ernest Orick, 68, was arrested Friday evening at a home in Jacksboro. Orick is the pastor at Mountain View Independent Baptist Church.

February 27, 2017

CLAYTON, N.C. — A youth pastor at a Johnston County church was arrested Saturday night and charged with having sex with a teen, authorities said Monday.1

Michael Todd Jancso, 24, was charged with statutory rape of a child under age 16.

February 23, 2017

CHARLEVOIX COUNTY, Mi (WPBN/WGTU) -- A youth pastor from Boyne City was charged Thursday with sex crimes after he was caught taking video of two young girls in the shower at his home.

Police said a family from downstate was visiting their former pastor in Boyne City when their 18-year-old daughter found a camera in the bathroom shower. She realized it had footage of her and her 15-year-old sister on it, and she told her parents.

February 27, 2017

A pastor of a church in LaFollette, Tenn., was arrested Friday and charged with multiple counts of sexual battery and aggravated statutory rape of a teenage girl, according to the Campbell County Sheriff's Office.

March 07, 2017

BOYLE COUNTY, Ky. (WYMT) - A trial date is finally set for a former Pulaski County pastor accused of murder.

Kenneth Keith’s case has changed hands and faced delays since September 2013 when he allegedly killed three people at a Boyle County pawn shop.

Time and time again Kenneth Keith has strolled into the Boyle County courtroom with his and the victims’ families packing the front rows without knowing when the high-profile trial would start.

March 03, 2017

READING, PA (WFMZ/CNN) - A pastor in Pennsylvania has been charged in connection with the death of his 2-year-old granddaughter.

District Attorney John Adams said that the grandfather to 2-year-old Ella Grace Foster is a pastor, and had a duty to report that she was being neglected, but never did.

"I firmly believe that this pastor is oblivious to the law and even if he wouldn't be oblivious, because of his beliefs he would not follow the law," Adams said.

November 26, 2016

PRESCOTT – A minister in the Baptist church, who left the area 10 years ago, has been indicted on multiple counts accusing him of sexually molesting children in 1995, 1996, and 1998 to 2001 while he was pastor of a church in Prescott.

Thomas Jonathan Chantry, 46, faces five counts of molestation of a child, related to two minors, and three counts of aggravated assault on three separate minors as well.

January 26, 2017

Randy Johnson, 52, formerly the pastor at Dallas Center Church of the Brethren, was arrested Jan. 25, 2017, on allegations that he sexually abused a child multiple times. Johnson faces 13 criminal charges. 

February 22, 2017

A Palm Bay pastor was booked into jail Wednesday after an eight-month investigation into a religious school student’s complaint ended with his arrest on a molestation charge.

Samuel Vidal Jr., 40, was charged with one count of lewd and lascivious molestation on Wednesday after detectives obtained an arrest warrant. The case stems from an incident on April 8 in which a 15-year-old girl reported that she was touched inappropriately, said Lt. Mike Bandish, spokesman for the Palm Bay Police Department.

March 08, 2017

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A Providence church leader is accused of molesting a boy for years.

Providence police said Wednesday that a 21-year-old man came forward last week, claiming Roy Bolden molested him while Bolden was a leader of the Legion of Christ Church in Providence.

Police said the man accused Bolden, 33, of molesting him when he was 12 years old and didn't stop until he was an adult.

November 12, 2016

An assistant pastor of a Roane County church was arrested on charges of sexually abusing and raping two girls, ages 12 and 17, in various settings, including the church.

November 12, 2016

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) –  A local pastor and his wife involved in a widespread welfare fraud scheme have been issued a restraining order.

Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced the restraining order prohibits them from moving money in or out of the church’s community services program.

Eight employees at the Israel Community Services Program, or ICSP, were arrested for welfare fraud, but the investigation goes even deeper

November 12, 2016

Moreno, 52, is believed to have shot a 21-year-old man, a 19-year-old woman and a 17-year-old girl Friday afternoon in the 4600 block of Beckman Way. The three victims were taken to hospitals with injuries police described as non-life-threatening. No further information was released as of Sunday afternoon.

Read more here: http://www.mercedsunstar.com/news/article111526617.html#storylink=cpy

November 12, 2016

Terry Wayne Millender, senior pastor of Victorious Life Church in Alexandria, Va., and his wife, Brenda, were indicted by a grand jury on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money-laundering conspiracy. 

November 12, 2016

KINGSTON, Tenn. –  An assistant pastor of a Tennessee church has been charged with sexually assaulting two girls at his home and at the church.

The Knoxville News Sentinel (http://bit.ly/2fetLuM ) reports that 62-year-old Jeremy Hugh McDowell was arrested Thursday on charges including sexual battery by an authority figure, aggravated sexual battery and rape of a child.

November 12, 2016

A youth pastor at a rural Pennsylvania church has been fired and arrested on statutory sexual assault charges after police said he admitted to impregnating a 15-year-old girl, according to the Associated Press.

Police said the youth pastor, 35-year-old Wesley Blackburn, told his wife he was having an affair with the girl and that he wanted a divorce, the AP reported.

November 12, 2016

A Twin Cities pastor has been arrested on suspicion of possessing child pornography after authorities raided his home and office Wednesday, police said.

The 47-year-old Pine City man, who works as an associate pastor at All Saints Lutheran Church in Cottage Grove, was jailed Wednesday on felony probable cause child pornography charges. The Star Tribune typically does not name suspects who have yet to be charged.

November 12, 2016

MAGNOLIA, TX (KTRK) --

A pastor of a Magnolia congregation has been arrested on charges of sexual assault of a child.

Eyewitness News has learned Ronald Wayne Mitchell, 56, is accused of sexually assaulting an underage female church member. Investigators fear there could be more victims who have not come forward. Apostle Mitchell, as he is known to church members, led the church from various locations including Tomball, South Houston and Montgomery County.

November 12, 2016

The pastor of Second Zion Baptist Church in Central City was arrested Wednesday after two young girls and two women accused him of sexually abusing them in the church, according to the New Orleans Police Department.

Police arrested 59-year-old Gary Lee Curtis and booked him on five counts of sexual battery after investigating a case that was first brought to the department on Sept. 21, according to arrest records.

The NOPD's Special Victims Section began investigating after a woman reported a single incident of sexual abuse involving a 12-year-old girl, the police report said.

November 12, 2016

Investigators with the Orange County Sheriff's Office tell FOX 35 they believe there are more victims out there.  If you have any information, you're asked to call the Sheriffs Office.  

August 27, 2016

GLYNN COUNTY, Ga. - A Georgia pastor and and conservative political activist was arrested Friday morning on charges of child molestation and aggravated child molestation. 

August 22, 2016

A onetime volunteer youth pastor from Willis won't be eligible for parole until 2046 after he was given a life sentence for his recent conviction on charges of aggravated sexual assault of a child.

August 22, 2016

An evangelical preacher who has been on the run since a jury convicted him last year of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old boy has been arrested in Central America, the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office said Sunday.

August 18, 2016

KLAHOMA CITY – An Edmond man was arrested for raping a child after the girl reported the alleged sexual abuse to her youth pastor.

On July 24, police were alerted to a child who was allegedly being sexually abused by 37-year-old Dallas Frank.

August 18, 2016

Texarkana pastor David Farren was arrested Friday on a sexual assault charge for the second time this month.

Farren, 41, was taken into custody Friday on a felony charge of second degree sexual assault and a misdemeanor charge of violation of mandatory reporting requirements. Farren was arrested Aug. 3 on three counts of felony first degree sexual assault for misconduct which allegedly occurred in 2013 when the girl was 16, according to an earlier press statement from Texarkana, Ark., police. The newest sexual assault charge involves a different alleged victim than the charges which led to Farren’s Aug. 4 arrest.

July 31, 2016

All of this supporter by Christians who believed in the bible and used it to support such horrific conduct. Good church goers.

It involves a strapping Negro slave, who was defiant, was beaten with a whip till bloody in front of his entire slave congregation. The slave owner would cut down a tree and, with the help of the overseer, would then pummel the deviant “buck” into submission. Once the slave was worn down, the master had the other Negro slaves force him over the tree stump where his britches would be removed and he laid fully exposed buttocks, he would remove his own clothing and proceeded to savagely sodomize the buck in front his wife, family, friends, and children

July 31, 2016

SHEBOYGAN, WI (WHBL) -- A member of a Sheboygan church youth group band has been convicted on a child sexual assault charge.

19-year-old Clayton Michener reached a plea deal with prosecutors, and pleaded no contest to one count of sexual assault of a child under the age of 16. A second count of sexual assault of a child under the age of 13 was dismissed but read into the record.

July 31, 2016

The mother of the victims said she had no knowledge of Feeney’s previous sex abuse convictions when she met him. 

Feeney was convicted of those crimes in 1992 when he was a camp counselor and Catholic youth pastor. He received probation and was sent to treatment.

July 25, 2016

Detectives arrested a Salem pastor Wednesday and charged him with sex crimes after a week-long investigation.

Mauricio Aguilera-Garcia, 55, was charged with 10 counts each of second-degree rape, second degree sodomy and unlawful sexual penetration.

The victim was a juvenile when the alleged crimes took place according to the Marion County Sheriff's Office, and met the Aguilera-Garcia at the Our Father's House church.  The church rents space from the Solid Rock Community Church at 3535 Ward Drive NE.

July 25, 2016

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — A local pastor has been charged in six cases of sexual assault against a minor who was a member of his church and its choir.

“It’s always crowded, always crowded. There are about 30 to 40 cars be up in here and people, they got a van. The van across the street pick people up. I mean, they did a lot of good things. My man just made a hell of a mistake,” said Anwar Zaheer, who lives near the Walk of Faith Church of Christ in New Haven.

July 25, 2016

ODESSA (FOX 13) - Hillsborough County deputies have arrested a youth pastor they say had sex with a member of his youth group.

Deputies say 26-year-old Samuel Sutter of Tampa, who is the youth minister at Openwater Church in Odessa, began a sexual relationship with the female victim in October of 2015

July 22, 2016

MOBILE, Ala. —A federal jury in Mobile has convicted a middle school teacher on child pornography charges.

RELATED​

Eighth-grade science teacher Jeremiah Hunter was convicted after just 10 minutes of deliberations on Friday. A judge scheduled his sentencing for Oct. 20, when the man could be sent to prison for nearly 20 years.

July 22, 2016

SAN ANTONIO -- A youth pastor was arrested and accused of child sexual assault, according to an arrest warrant from the Bexar County Sheriff's Office.

Edgar Gonzalez, 24, is accused of having sex with a 16-year-old girl. According to the warrant, he was her youth pastor at one time.

A deputy reportedly spoke with the victim last week. BCSO said she reported that Gonzalez texted her to meet up for sex after communicating with him for 2-3 weeks.

Gonzalez reportedly picked her up after they agreed where to meet, and they had sex in the back seat of his car.

The victim's mother said Gonzalez and her daughter communicated through Snapchat, and Gonzalez reportedly asked the victim to keep their communications secret "so he would not get in trouble."

According to the warrant, the victim told a nurse Gonzalez promised to "marry her and take care of her."

July 17, 2016

ISLE OF WIGHT, Va. – An Isle of Wight County pastor currently out on bond from multiple child pornography charges was arrested again on Wednesday after investigators examined more evidence related to his case.

Christopher Alan Hogge was arrested May 23 at his home in Isle of Wight County and charged with eight counts of possession and distribution of child pornography.

July 17, 2016

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Mid-South pastor is behind bars accused of raping a family member.

Damond Roker was arrested  Friday and booked into the Shelby County Jail on charges of aggravated assault, aggravated rape, and tampering with evidence among other things.

WREG has learned he is the pastor of Redemptive Life Church in Memphis.

July 17, 2016

Police arrested former Los Alamos Pastor Paul Cunningham last Friday evening on San Ildefonso Road and charged him with two counts of sexual exploitation of children.

According to court documents obtained by the Los Alamos Daily Post, investigators executed a search warrant at Cunningham's home, at 4732 Brisa Del Bosque, and found more than 400 explicit images of children and nine pornographic videos on computers belonging to Cunningham. Twenty-two of the images had been shared through several social media sites.

July 17, 2016

EFFERSONVILLE — A Jeffersonville pastor arrested earlier this month died of an apparent suicide Monday, according to officials in Cobb County, Ga.

Detective Ralph Escamillo with the Cobb County Police Department told partners WAVE 3 News that David James Brown, 46, was found at a storage business in Marietta, Ga., where police determined he died of suicide.

Brown had family in the immediate area. The investigation has been turned over to the Cobb County Medical Examiner's Office.

Brown, 46, was arrested in Kentucky after allegedly arranging to meet a minor for sex in Frankfort on June 15, according to newsgathering partner WAVE3 News.

July 17, 2016

A popular Ghanaian pastor in Germany was arrested Saturday morning after he allegedly tried to persuade an undercover source to perform s*xual acts in exchange for money.

According to KJAN the Rev. Dominic Yamoah, 40, of Clarinda was arrested by Fremont County Sheriff’s deputies and held on solicitation charges at the Fremont County Law Enforcement Center on $2,000 bond.

Investigation revealed that the pastor was involved in solicitation of prostitution in Hamburg, about 40 miles southwest of Clarinda in US. He is alleged to have begged the undercover agents to have s*x with him in exchange for money.

Yamoah serves as a priest at the St. Clare Parish in Clarinda and St. Joseph Parish in Villisca. The Iowa State Patrol assisted in the investigation.

July 17, 2016

Tampa, FL -- A 26-year-old youth minister accused of having sex with a teenage girl he met through their church is now being held on $100,000 bond.

Sam Sutter was arrested over the weekend and faces charges of sexual battery.

Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office detectives say Sutter had sex with the girl at his home and in a restroom at Openwater Church in Odessa.

It raises questions, especially with so many children attending faith-based camps over the summer, about what parents can do to protect their children.

July 17, 2016

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A Nashville pastor has been accused of stealing from the state by fraudulently receiving thousands in grant money.

Clinton Lewis a pastor at Mt. Hopewell Baptist Church and his associate Andre Trice were arrested and booked into jail.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said they fraudulently received more than $60,000 in grant money for an addiction recovery program that didn't really exist.

An investigation found the clients said to be part of the program were either in jail or dead.

July 17, 2016

A Fort Lauderdale, Florida, youth pastor named Raymond Vincent has been fired and turned into custody after authorities say he impregnated a 10-year-old girl. Vincent has a history of sex-related charges.

U.S. marshals tracked the 46-year-old criminal to Haiti where they flew him from Port-au-Prince and turned him over to the Fort Lauderdale PD. As for his young victim, Doctors learned the young girl was pregnant when she ended up in the hospital with stomach pains.

July 17, 2016

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — A Connecticut pastor has been charged with six counts of sexual assault against a minor, WTNH reports.

59-year-old Walter Williams is believed to had six sexual encounters with the minor, ranging between July 2015 and April 2016.

The victim’s mother first learned of the assault through text messages on her daughter’s phone before going to the police.

After describing the encounters, police opened a full-scale investigation and found that the assault happened on six separate occasions with Williams, with two of them at the church.

July 17, 2016

The details of a horrifying case in Nigeria are being reported this week after a teenage girl and her unborn baby died in an illegal, botched abortion.

The news outlet Yen reports police arrested the father of the baby, a married pastor named Gideon Garba, after he allegedly arranged for a friend to perform the illegal abortion to try to cover up his affair with the teen.

July 17, 2016

Madison County investigators have arrested a staff member of a Madison church who stands accused of possession and dissemination of child pornography. 

​

John Lindbergh Ellar Martin, 57, is charged with possession of child pornography. He is being held in the Madison County Jail in lieu of $30,000. 

Madison County Sheriff's Office Captain Michael Salomonsky announced the arrest Tuesday afternoon at a news conference, where he detailed the weeks-long investigation into Martin's alleged crimes.

July 17, 2016

Sick Christian's reaction to sexual assualt.....

July 17, 2016

Christians seeking to deny others equal rights and freedom of worship as they claim curses are being put on them...

July 14, 2016

A church pastor's nephew who is in state prison for raping a 12-year-old girl twice while his uncle listened to "loud church music" upstairs has failed to convince a state appeals court to throw out his convictions.

July 14, 2016

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH)– A trusted pastor in the Elm City, accused of having a sexual relationship with a minor, is out on bond.

Police say the victim was just 15 years old girl at the time. 59-year-old Walter Williams is facing six counts of sexual assault. He was arrested on Monday. The victim in all of this was a member of the church.

June 24, 2016

Atlanta pastor arrested after infecting parishioners with HIV

June 24, 2016

Alabama Church Says Pastor Confessed He Has AIDS, Slept With Flock

June 24, 2016

Memphis, TN — Former preacher Rodney Carr was sentenced to five years in prison because he knowingly spread HIV.

June 24, 2016

A pastor from Nigeria who impregnated 20 woman from his church claims he had sex with the women because the Holy Spirit told him to.

June 24, 2016

Moses Jr. was a pastor at the Anishnabe Baptist Church.

He was extradited from Wisconsin in September after an investigation that took several months.

Another prominent figure at the church, Steven Alexander has pleaded guilty to sex crimes charges and was sentenced to at least 45 years in prison.

June 24, 2016

THREE RIVERS, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - A former pastor of a church in Three Rivers has been charged with criminal sexual conduct involving an 18-year-old he had been counseling for years.

Police say multiple incidents happened inside the Three Rivers Bible Church, where the suspect James Bailey was a pastor.

June 24, 2016

Questions are being raised in Marietta, Georgia, as to how a man charged with sexually abusing a child when he worked as a youth pastor in 2013 could be hired as a youth pastor this year, in a position where he is again accused of sexual abuse, 11Alive reports.

Alexander Edwards has been charged in two cases, one from 2013 and one from this year.

June 24, 2016

A three-count indictment issued against the pastor of a North Aurora church includes an allegation that the 39-year-old "begged" to have sex with the teen girl he has been accused of sexually assaulting.

Ralphael Robinson "grabbed (the girl) by the wrist ... and begged her to have sex with him," the indictment states in connection to the charge of attempted aggravated criminal sexual abuse, which was added to single counts of criminal sexual assault and sex abuse on which Robinson was arrested in April.

​

June 24, 2016

A Marengo County preacher is accused of sexually abusing an underage girl.

Gregory Lucy, 59, of Dixons Mills, was arrested on Friday and charged with five counts of sexual abuse first degree and attempted rape first degree, court records show.  The arrest came after a grand jury indictment on June 14.

June 24, 2016

A gruesome scene unfolded in North Carolina, USA. A convicted child molester kidnapped a 17-year-old woman and took her back to his home and assaulted her. Kimberly Walt was walking home from her friends house on Sunday afternoon when she says she was approached by Robert Williams, a three-time convicted felon.

June 01, 2016

These 24 Pastors Were All Arrested for Sex Crimes Against Children and the Disabled In One Month!

May 24, 2016

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (BP) -- A sex trafficking felony charge against a children's minister has left a 4,000-member church reeling.

Jason Kennedy, 46, who joined Grace Baptist Church's staff two and a half years ago, was arrested May 19 in Knoxville -- one of 30-plus individuals charged in a four-day undercover sting operation by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and local police.

May 24, 2016

Joel Wright travels to Tijuana, Mexico after communicating with a person (only known as “reporting person” in a criminal complaint) via Craigslist in hopes of “obtaining” a child.  In a Tijuana hotel, Wright paid the person an adoption fee.  The person then left the hotel and did not return, scamming Wright out of the so-called “fee.”

May 24, 2016

More than 850 child sex abuse claims, including about 500 against Minnesota Catholic clergy, have been made in the past three years under a landmark Minnesota law sunsetting this week that allowed victims of older abuse cases to have their day in court.

May 24, 2016

BILOXI, MS (WLOX) -

A former South Mississippi priest has admitted to having an inappropriate relationship with a 12-year-old boy, according to a news release from the Catholic Diocese of Biloxi.

​

 

December 24, 2019

Bishop Donald Kettler of the Diocese of St. Cloud has been notified that a Crosier Father, most recently a parish priest in the St. Cloud Diocese, has been accused of sexually abusing a minor in the 1970s when he was serving at St. Odilia Church in Shoreview, Minnesota

December 24, 2019

WASHINGTON COUNTY, Ala. – A South Alabama pastor has been taken to jail after authorities say he abused at least six underage boys over the course of several years.

May 24, 2016

Police arrested a 71-year-old retired Duncan assistant pastor after they say he had indecent acts with an out-of-town 10-year-old female relative while she visited last summer.

Jody Hilliard, 71, was arrested and charged with two counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child under 12, a felony.

May 24, 2016

A Chesterfield man who volunteered as a youth pastor in a Colonial Heights church was sentenced April 25 on several charges stemming from his sexual abuse of several teens in his youth group.

May 24, 2016

Jurors took just 3 1/2 hours Tuesday to find Jeffery London, a church youth pastor, charter school disciplinarian and unofficial foster parent, guilty of a federal sex abuse charge.

May 24, 2016

Duncan Aker Jr., 63, served as pastor at the Vanceburg Christian Church until 2011 when he moved to Indiana. Police say he sexually abused a boy under 12-years-old between 2007 and 2010. According to the indictment, investigators say the abuse took place in a vehicle along the AA Highway, in Aker's home, in an outbuilding he owned, and in the church.