Justice for the victim of church enabled sexual assault

A woman who was sexually assaulted by former pastor Brian L. Williams of Sunbury Grace Brethren Church, has filed a lawsuit against the church alleging that the church knowingly hired a Williams despite a history of sexual assault allegations. The victim and her father seek $25,000 in compensatory damages and in excess of $25,000 in punitive damages.

Williams pleaded guilty and was convicted of two counts of sexual assault. He is serving two four-year terms in prison and is not a party in the lawsuit.

When this story originally broke, members of Grace Brethren defended Williams in comments on a post here at Deep Thoughts. All comments were anonymous.

Here are a few choice comments.

There have been no other girls that have accused him of anything.

It's also a shame that people are assumed guilty before it's proven.

and this…

This girls reputation around town is not one of integrity or purity. People have guessed who the victim is just because of her previous claims of being a rape victim. O' her again? Is she sticking to the lie this time because it has gone too far? Why is she going around school asking people if they have heard the news?I hope she is ready for the intense probing of the truth she is about to face in a trial.

and this…

I agree, everyone is entitled to their own opinion of this situation. It is very hard to side with the victim in this case. Like the previous poster said, she is a habitual liar and BW is known in several communities as an outstanding Pastor who has helped numerous families for years. His life was dedicated to helping people and this 15 year old, who is known to be unstable, simply can not be trusted. I admit, I will be devastated if he is found guilty, but I can't help but wonder, did she come on to him? Did he shove her away and then she think he attacked her? I can't help having these thoughts because of the way this girl operates. I really want to believe her but I can't find it in myself to do so. When you know both people and their history, it is just so very hard to grasp that PB just all the sudden raped a 15 year old girl. Satan is cunning and when a man is tempted, we all know lust takes over.The one question that haunts me is why did he counsel her alone? The only thing we can do is wait and pray for both families. I really hope the evidence is substantial, like DNA, and not just a taped phone conversation. They could have been having two completely different conversations. This is really difficult, a community is suffering and no matter what the verdict, lives have been changed forever.

and this…

You must not know the Lord to say such nonsense. ANY sin is forgivable so why do you think he will have to answer for his actions when he dies? If he did it, sorry, the Lord can forgive him right this second, as long as he truly repents. Slate clean! That is the great thing about grace. Obviously something you don't understand. And wake up, the Lord already knows, he doesn't have to be here.

and this…

I have known PB for many years and as a youth i went on many missions trips with his previous church where he was a youth pastor. I was never put in a situation where i felt uncomfortable in any way around pb. we went to france on a missions trip along with other places in the us and i can speak for me but nothing like this happened with me. then he left and started the church in sunbury where he was/is a senior pastor. wouldnt you think you would have seen a hit of the behavior before? I understand people can change but i am reserving my judgement until all the facts come to light.

I have some questions that i feel need to be answered in this case
1. why would the girl wait 24 hours?
2. would she not have been upset when picked up by the family member after the meeting.
3. where is the dna?
4. has the youth been involved in the system, in trouble before?
5. did someone say this has been stated from the youth before?? but then she took it back?

I do not think $25,000 is enough. Do you? The jury awarded 3.6 million dollars.

The Delaware County jury on Monday found that one or more employees of Grace Brethren Church of Delaware, Ohio, was negligent in supporting Brian L. Williams' hiring and retention as senior pastor of Sunbury Grace Brethren Church, where he sexually assaulted the woman in 2008, according to court documents. Delaware Grace failed to properly investigate and document earlier incidents of sexually inappropriate behavior allegedly committed by Williams, the jury concluded, which allowed him to be "empowered to a greater responsibility" as senior pastor of Sunbury Grace.

Justice is served and it tastes like a bankrupt church.  

Scott Walker speaks in tongues

Scott Walker "Speaks in Tongues" at His Fringe Church (via http://www.uppitywis.org)

As many probably remember, back in 2008 Sarah Palin came under considerable scrutiny when it was discovered that she had once attended a fringe pentecostal church where adherents stand up and blurt-out an ancient, unknown language called "speaking in tongues" aka jibberish nonsense: Palin's former…

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Pastor Ryan Muelhauser sentenced

Pastor Ryan Jay Muelhauser, profiled here, was sentenced to 160 days in jail, 10-years supervised probation, and he must register as a predatory offender.

“My failures have brought pain, confusion, anger and damage into many people’s lives,” Muehlhauser said. “I failed in my role as a pastor, mentor, husband, father and friend. I have betrayed the trust of so many people. To my victims and their families, I’m so, so sorry for the ways I hurt them, and I ask them to please forgive me.”

Source: Former Isanti County pastor sentenced for criminal sexual conduct

Boohoo...

Transcripts from Pastor Charles Savage conviction

Disgraced pedophile pastor Charles Savage II pleaded guilty to one count of sexual imposition back in April 11, 2013. I promised the victim that I would post the transcript as soon as it became available, so here it is.

State of Ohio VS. Charles W. Savage II. Case No. 20120113 (PDF)

It makes for an interesting read. Enjoy

Other links:

• Pastor Charles Savage II charged (with 519 amazingly inane comments)
• Pastor Charles Savage indicted

I love these fails

I love these fails. It buttresses my position that pastors gain no moral advantage from being a men of God.

In Fort Worth Texas, Pastor Clyde Downs, formerly of Arlington Harvest Missionary Baptist Church, was arrested for drug possession and unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Don't worry though, Pastor Downs left the church six months ago, before he fell from grace.

The Star-Telegram reported this week that Clyde Downs, 48, of Arlington was senior pastor of the New Harvest Missionary Baptist Church in the Stop Six neighborhood, a position he had held for six years. The newspaper got the information from church’s website.

But Thursday, the Rev. John Reed said Downs resigned in January. The church on Carol Avenue is being led by interim pastor Edward Justice and continues its ministries, Reed said.

Source: Minister accused of drug possession is no longer a church pastor, a former colleague says

A few things to consider: Why was a convicted felon the pastor of a Baptist church for over 6 years? Is it because convicted felons cannot find a normal job, so they end up running a church as a means to make a living? Why does a pastor have a gun? In my interpretation of the bible, gun <> Jesus. An excon with drugs... move along. There is no story here. This is expected conduct.

Pastor Brian Gray pleads guilty

Pastor Brian Gray entered guilty please to three counts invoking sex with a young teenage girl. Pastor Gray is a Baptist who is married with three children.

A 51-year-old Wheatland pastor who authorities said admitted to having sexual relations with a 16-year-old Sutter County girl for a year has pled guilty.

Brian Gray entered guilty pleas to three counts of unlawful sex with a minor, three counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a minor and one count of contacting a minor with the intent to commit lewd and lascivious acts, according to the Yuba County District Attorney's Office.

Yuba County sheriff's investigators were alerted to Gray by an in-law. The pastor serves at Anchor Baptist Church.

Source: Pastor pleads guilty to sex with minor charges

The relationship began at Anchor Baptist Church in Wheatland, which is a small storefront church in an even smaller town in California. How anyone can rape a teen girl and thing they can get away with it in a small town blows my mind. This guy is an idiot. His own family ratted him out. You can read the whole story here.

Ironically, this is not the first pastor Brian Gray to be arrested for molesting a child.

Charity with a price

“We have to listen to this imbecile’s sermon just to get something to eat,”

- Felip Gomez, homeless migrant worker in Tijuana

I heard this quote today on my drive to work. A homeless man, and many of his compatriots,  must listen to a bible-thumping evangelical preacher before they are allowed to eat donated food. My first thought was, would Jesus do this? Would Jesus hold a hungry man hostage to a sermon? I don't think so. I don't think that is his message. Charity with a price is not charity. 

I remember being so poor that I did not eat. I was so poor that every penny went to buying food for my newborns son, with none left over for me or my wife. I was so hungry that I would eat scraps. It has tempered my thinking on hunger and homelessness, plus it reinforced the moral principle that we should care for those less fortunate than us. I always feed people. 

It never occurred to me those who are deported to Mexico after an illicit border crossing suffer hardship. The truth is, I had never given the issue serious thought. It raises a question of ethics. Is this right? What about you Christians out there? Why do conservative Christians push so hard to deport hard-working Latinos? Do you consider their plight on the other side of the border?

The article that got me thinking is linked in below.

After Deportation to Tijuana, Many Lives Quickly Slide Into Despair

by Adrian Florido

Last year the Obama administration deported 400,000 people from the United States, many sent to border cities like Tijuana. They’re often dropped off with little money, few belongings and no ties to the city. Once there, many lives quickly slide into desperation. 

Juan Manuel Alvarez is 25. On a recent afternoon he was walking through Tijuana’s red light district, where he tries to make a living shining shoes. Other than his tattered clothes, his one possession is his shoe shiner’s kit, which he carries everywhere. His fingernails are perpetually stained with black polish.

Read more here. 

Pastor arrested for theft

Baptist pastor Johnny Murff of Lakeland's New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, was arrested for stealing a little over $5,000. He allegedly used the money to pay his phone and electric bills.

A pastor of a Lakeland church is accused of stealing more than $5,000 from the church, according to an investigation by the State Attorney's Office in Bartow.

Johnny Murff, 37, of 1314 Fairbanks St. in Lakeland, faces one count of grand theft, an arrest report states.

Source: Lakeland Pastor Accused of Theft From Church

Dumbass. If you are going to steal then steal big. That's what the evangelicals teach.

Things my grandfather told me

When I was young my grandfather would impart some of his wisdom while we worked together on one of his many projects. He once told me that as he grew older the frequency of funerals increased to the point where you start to think everyone you knew as a younger man is dead. I laughed at the time. I remember thinking, how could that be?

I'm heading to a funeral in a few minutes. It's my fourth in three months. I've missed four others. People die all the time, but when you are older, it really does seem like everyone you know is dying.

Such is life.

Youth Pastor Charles Engle arrested

Youth pastor Charles Engle of the First Baptist Church in Mount Orab, was arrested and charged with three counts of unlawful sexual contact with a minor.

"If he is guilty of this we don't want him to ever be working with students again. So we're all for, if he's guilty, whatever the authorities do to make sure that doesn't happen again," said The Rev. Tim Cline, senior pastor.

Read more: Brown Co. youth pastor accused of sex with teen

I missed this story when it first broke.

WWJD? Death threats over a freethinkers club

Would Jesus condone his follower issuing death threats against teenaged freethinkers? I guess he would if it were the bible belt and any threat to Christian supremacy is meant with intimidation and threats of violence.

The Genesis Of Alabama’s Only HS “Freethinkers” Club

So Duncan tried to start a freethinkers’ club two years ago at Auburn Junior High. He wanted a safe social space for himself and like-minded classmates. But Duncan and his family say a former principal stonewalled it, which the administrator — who’s now with a different school system — denies outright. Regardless, Duncan got death threats from fellow students:

“One threatened to shoot me and every other atheist with a shotgun.”

Read more.

These are kids and the death threats are tinged with teenaged rage and immaturity. Is this what one teaches children at the local First Baptist Church in Alabama? Baby Jesus is crying. 

Hat tip to MKooasdoa of Reddit. 

Know thy enemy - Al Bedrosian

Al Bedrosian is a Republican candidate for one of five open seats on Virginia's Roanoke County Board of Supervisors. His Christian extremism should prevent him from winning, but you never know.

Candidate for Roanoke County Board of Supervisors: Religious Freedom Only Applies to Christians

In Virginia, Al Bedrosian is the Republican candidate in the race to win one of the five seats on the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors. There’s no Democrat in the race; he’s running against independent Gary Jarrell.

None of this would be particularly newsworthy outside of Roanoke if it weren’t for this opinion piece Bedrosian wrote for the Roanoke Times nears six years ago, in which he talks about how this country is not only a Christian nation, but one where non-Christians should not be allowed to worship at all:

Read more at Patheos and the Friendly Atheist

This man's position is one step away from calling for non-christians to be expelled from the country. He is on the lunatic fringe of Christianity, but still a viable Republican candidate. 

Life is about goals

I shot par at La Mirada Disc Golf Course today. I've been trying to do so for at least 10 years and possibly longer. I'm 52. My game should be in decline. Instead I get better each month. I chalk it up to practice. To get to my next goal I'll have to work even harder, but that is what life is all about. Right?

My average had been +4 for years. I started playing again after a break because of a shoulder injury (rotator cuff). I started shooting +1 and +2, and then today, one birdie, one bogey for par. It felt good.

A victory for Christa Dias and America

Christa Dias won a $171,000 judgement against the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. She had been unjustly fired for using artificial insemination to become pregnant while unmarried. Catholics claimed that it was cause for termination. The court did not agree.

Christa Dias's court victory reaffirms the longstanding principle that religious freedom does not give anyone or any entity a free pass to discriminate. Recently, some religiously-affiliated organizations and secular for-profit businesses that hire from and serve the public have tried to justify discrimination by invoking religious freedom. While this country ardently protects the absolute right to believe what you want, the right to act upon those beliefs is not unlimited. It does not permit employers, businesses, or individuals to interfere with the rights of, and harm, others – including pregnant women, women seeking access to contraception or LGBT individuals.

Source: A Victory for Workers, a Victory for Families

Support the ACLU. They do our heavily lifting. 

I have a question. If Catholics think it is amoral to use artificial insemination, is it ok to abort the fetus then? 

I see Catholic hypocrisy in every action

At times, when a Catholic clergyman acts, I see the hypocrisy in every action.

Ohio Catholic School Disinvites Pro-Gay Graduation Speaker Then Blames Him For Not Showing

Franklin County Commissioner John O’Grady is a dedicated alumnus of Bishop Ready, and Principal Celene Seamen apparently invited him to give the graduation speech about two months ago. At the ceremony, his name was still on the program, but students were told he could not speak because “something had come up,” and Seamen gave the speech herself.

Read more here.

"Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” - somebody in the bible. 

It is false witness to disinvite a speaker because of his support for marriage equity and then tell the student body that "something came up?" I think so, and so do many others.

It is irritating enough that Commissioner O’Grady would be excluded for his support of LGBT issues, but it is quite another thing altogether to cause O’Grady to be blamed for not appearing as he promised. Allowing another to take the blame for your actions? Someone needs to hit the confessional, Bishop Campbell.

Read more: Catholics Uninvite Pro-Gay Speaker, Then Let Graduates Think He Stood Them Up

What other proof is required? Bishop Campbell's actions are clear. He acted out of a desire to control the political dialog on a key social issue. He did so unethically. Burn it your make-believe hell. 

More on Geronimo Aguilar and evangelical madness

If your megachurch runs a tanning salon, fitness center, bookstore, daycare center, auto repair, and/or real-estate development under its tax exempt status, you are not attending a church. You are attending a for profit business which uses a church to hide its income. I'm absolutely sure this is not what Jesus intended. You might as well be a Catholic.

Geronimo Aguilar ran a business through a church and apparently kept a harem too. Don't worry though, the harem thing is in the bible someplace.

Moral Compass has an interesting post on a woman who claimed that Geronimo Aguilar had sex with her, her mother and her aunt.

For sexual gratification and variety, pastor Geronimo Aguilar, a.k.a. Pastor G., found no better hunting ground than the megachurch he founded in Richmond, Virginia, a decade ago.

And that’s saying something: the good reverend apparently got plenty of extramarital nookie in his previous state, Texas, too. It emerged last month that his “conquests” in Texas included prepubescent girls.

Since he was extradited from Virginia to the Lone Star State in May — felony charges against him include the aggravated sexual assault of two sisters under age 14 — other bedmates have come forward. Voluntary sex partners of the man of god and father of five include Richmond-area church member Amber Baker, whose extended family appears especially adept at, let’s say, snake handling.

Read more: Va. Church Member on Married Father of Five and Alleged Child Rapist Pastor G.: ‘My Mother, My Aunt and I Have All Had Sex With Him.’

It appears that the scam works like this. Build a big church. Spread a lot of money around town. Provide services and help people, then shop from the at-risk population to satisfy your pleasures. it is a disturbing pattern, but I bet there is a manual around someplace. Too many of these churches are falling the same way. 

In other news, three other gangster pastors were asked to step down. 

A swirling controversy over the criminal past and alleged sexual proclivities of the founding pastor of Virginia's Richmond Outreach Center (ROC) megachurch, Geronimo Aguilar, came to a head on Wednesday when the church's board announced that it had accepted the resignation of four of its five pastors.

"The Richmond Outreach Center held a Board meeting this evening, June 5, 2013. Upon mutually agreeable terms, we hereby announce that we have accepted the resignations of Pastor Geronimo Aguilar, Pastor Jason Helmlinger, Pastor Andrew Delgado and Pastor Matthew Aguilar," noted the board in a terse statement posted to its website.

Read more: 4 Pastors at Virginia's ROC Megachurch Resign Amid Swirling Sexual Assault Allegations

A follow up on Heroes inside the SBC System

Bene Diction Blogs On made a post about Watch Keep, the subject of a post I made recently called Heroes inside the SBC System. Bene Diction's post adds some flavor to growing story of denial and anti-christian behavior on the part of First Baptist and SBC. Enjoy.

First Baptist Church - Houston - "I saw your blog"

Every time I think Southern Baptist leaders can’t mess up any more than they already are, they do.

Amy Smith is a courageous woman, who attends a SBC church and who is also the Houston director of S.N.A.P. For years she has been pointing out how SBC churches neglect their responsibilities in reporting paedophiles, protecting children, and SBC failures in ministering to abuse survivors. Her stand has cost her.

And it is costing her again.

Read more.

What I find most distressing is the meat grinder people like Amy go through when they become an enemy of the church. Amy is acting from love, while the church acts to defend its brand. How is this Christ like?

Doubting Mark. An Atheist Blog.

I came across Doubting Mark via Reddit. I've been back several times since. He visits a church and reviews its sermons. I thought my readers might enjoy it.

Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Hall, Ballard

I was excited to visit this church. I was excited because I had downloaded a PDF of the Watchtower magazine, the Jehovah’s Witness publication, in preparation for my visit, and the magazine all about ending racism and prejudice.

Seriously, if they had preached this, I would have been quite happy. Because this is the sort of thing I’m looking for. Spoiler alert: They did not preach this. But we’ll get to that.

Read more.

Heroes inside the SBC system

As an atheist blogger who tracks clergy sexual abuse, I am officially outside the system. A few of us who fight the good fight do so from within the system and at great risk. My dear friend Christa Brown is a good example, and now it seems I can point to Amy of Watch Keep. Amy is the Houston leader for SNAP as well as a member of Houston's First Baptist Church. Amy has been outed as a "being on the fringe" and "standing outside the SBC" What are her crimes? She tries to protect children. Her story starts below:

A pastor at our church of almost 18 years, Houston's First Baptist Church, has told me and my husband this week that it's for the best that we step down from serving there, teaching in the youth ministry, since we don't see what I'm doing is a problem, like he does: my efforts to shine the light of truth and spread awareness about the horrific problem of child sexual within Southern Baptist churches and the silence from SBC leaders. Up until this blog post, I have never mentioned our church or any of the HFBC pastors on my blog.

I have never talked to this pastor, Doug Bischoff before, not in person, not on the phone, not via email. Last Friday, he left me a message, but I was out of town. Then, Monday, I didn't get a chance to call him back, being my 18th wedding anniversary, etc...and he left me another message late that afternoon, in a little put-out sounding tone of voice, in my opinion, saying, "trying to reach you, don't know if you're out of town or what."

Read more:See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil: The Souther Baptist Convention and child sexual abuse within

What do I know about the SBC? It is simple. If you read my ever growing list of clergy sex offenders, the SBC dominates. They are the problem. They hide from accountability under the banner of church autonomy, which is just another way of saying local pastors are not held accountable to any standard besides a loyalty and doctrine pledge. You will get passed from church to church as a child molester, but dip one contrary toe in the pool of doctrine and you'll be banned for life as an apostate. It cracks me up that you can lose everything over challenging the trinity, but suffer nothing for violating a young child. 

I rant. I rave. I post story after story, but what I do pales besides the effort of people like Amy. They are the true heroes. They risk much in the battle. We must give them our love and support. Even when they play for the opposing team. 

Christian hate speech

Minnesota pro-marriage equality church vandalized with religious hate speech (via Raw Story )

A Minnesota church with a history of supporting equal marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples was vandalized with religious hate speech over the weekend. Members arrived at the Pilgrims United Church of Christ in Maple Grove on Sunday to find homophobic graffiti and eggs thrown at the building’…

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With evangelical love, hate soon follows

Controversial Brazil evangelical pastor draws ire (via AFP)

Provocative, charismatic and ambitious, Brazil's evangelical pastor and lawmaker Marco Feliciano has become a lightning rod for nationwide criticism over his disparaging remarks about gays and blacks. The affable 40-year-old maverick has proven adept at attracting the evangelical vote, and was elected…

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A pastor's folly

Pastor Danny Tice of Bay Shore Community Church allowed a convicted sex offender to keep his job instead of terminating him immediately. Tice also neglected to tell his church and staff of the risk. Matthew Burton would allegedly go on to kidnap, rape and murder Nicole Bennett, who was the director of the church's day care center. Oops...

In his wrongful death suit, Kevin Bennett says Tice is at fault because he never alerted his wife that Burton had a violent criminal history.

"The death of Nicole Bennett was a direct and proximate cause of the negligent actions of Tice, who was acting in the scope of his employment when he failed to adequately warn Nicole Bennett of the risk presented by fellow employee Burton, and this failure led to Nicole Bennett's death," the suit states. The Bennett family is represented by Wilmington attorney Bart Dalton.

Nicole Bennett, 35, was devoted to her family and her church. On June 14, she called home to let them know she would be working late at the church to finish up a day-care mailing. She was left alone with Burton.

Source: Suit: Pastor gave sex offender time to kill

It looks like Pastor Danny Tice is about to lose his church, and possibly everything he has to his name. What was the right thing to do here? I think the answer is obvious.

The church responded…

"a background check was performed on Matthew Burton and based on that information,  the church determined Burton was not a risk to employees or others at the church."

Source: Bay Shore Community Church, Pastor Respond to Wrongful Death Lawsuit

I hope the church and pastor realize they are being sued for what they did after learning of Matthew Burton's crimes. A reasonable person would have fired Burton and paid two weeks severance. 

Pastor Dale Richardson granted bail

Pastor Dale Richardson, profiled here, was granted bail after sitting in jail awaiting trial since his arrest in 2011. I think this is a bad idea. His alleged crimes are violent and involve kidnapping and rape.

Bond was set at $250,000 for a former pastor who is accused of kidnapping four women and raping three of them.

A Circuit Court judge set bail on Wednesday for Dale Richardson who investigators say offered the victims rides then kidnapped them at gunpoint before raping them. Richardson's attorneys from Savage Law Firm had filed for bond in late March.

Source:Bond set at $250k for former pastor accused of rape

No amount of monitoring justifies the risk he represents to his community. 

A few stores from wayward pastors

There are several developing stories in Hypocrisy Watch. I don't have time to do this subject justice. I'm at the end of a big project and cannot spend time writing these stories up. I'll have to summarize for now.

Hanover church holds first service since youth pastor arrest.

Advent Christian Church off Studley Road in Hanover held their first Sunday service since the arrest of their youth pastor on embezzlement charges.

Hanover Sheriff’s deputies arrested and charged Chris Phillips with felony embezzlement last week. Deputies said Phillips embezzled $80,000 from the church, which only has about 50 members.

- Youth Pastor Chris Phillips allegedly embezzled the money to pay off a hooker.

Youth pastor pleads not guilty to enticement of minor Friday

A former youth pastor charged with enticing a minor has plead not guilty Friday.

Trevor Jacob Fortner, 25, was arrested earlier this month for allegedly sending explicit pictures and messages to an undercover officer, who was posing as a 15-year-old girl.

For more information please read A pastor and his photos

Ex-youth minister accused of sex crimes 

A 27-year-old former Pontotoc church youth minister has pleaded not guilty to four counts of sexual contact with a minor female.

The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reports (http://bit.ly/14CVEAA ) that Jaysen Hogue appeared Thursday before Circuit Judge Thomas Gardner. Hogue was freed on $40,000 bond.

 Sentencing delayed for former youth pastor

The sentencing hearing for Robert Eric Warren, a former youth pastor of a Yuma church, was continued for more than a month when his attorney requested a mitigation hearing after learning of the sentence the court intended to impose upon his client.

In a brief hearing Wednesday in Yuma County Superior Court, Superior Court Judge pro tem David Haws informed attorney Greg Torok that the court had received his motion objecting to a recommendation in the pre-sentence report that Warren may have to register as a sex offender as part of the sex offender regulations of his probation.

The convicted pedophile liked to give sex toys to children. For more information please read Youth Pastor Robert Warren arrested

Former Pontotoc youth minister pleads not guilty to sex charges

A former church youth minister pleaded not guilty this morning to state charges he had sex with an under-age female.

Jaysen Hogue, 27, appeared before Circuit Judge Thomas Gardner at the Pontotoc County Courthouse.

A grand jury indicted Hogue on May 3, charging him with four counts that between Oct. 1, 2011, to Feb. 28, 2012, he fondled and performed various sex acts upon a female under the age of 18.

Read more: Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal - Former Pontotoc youth minister pleads not guilty to sex charges

Pastor Geronimo Aguilar arrested

Pastor Geronimo Aguilar of the Richmond Outreach Center "The ROC" faces two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child under 14. There are two alleged victims, both now in their 20s.

The alleged crimes took place in 1996 and 1997 in Texas, reports the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

The charges are felonies in Texas and could carry five and 99 years in prison as well as up to a $10,000 fine if Aguilar is convicted.

Pastor Aguilar founded the Richmond Outreach Center in 2001. It quickly caught on and was even named one of the fastest growing churches in America.

Source: Virginia Pastor Geronimo Aguilar Arrested On Child Sex Charges

Aguilar left Texas and went on to found one of the fastest growing churches in America. It is estimated that membership at the ROC tops 11,000. 

Since his arrested, Aguilar has stepped down from The ROC, but is doing so in style. He's on paid leave. His salary is $94,120 with an additional $35,233 coming from other church related sources. Tough life…

Aguilar faced a sexual misconduct complaint in Richmond a few years ago, but no charges were filed. Additional complaints are under investigation in California. One of the alleged victims described the incident. 

On May 6, another adult woman told 8News that when Aguilar was second pastor at her church in California, he snuck into her bedroom, touched her feet to wake her up and encouraged her to come outside with him. We have chosen to keep her identity hidden.

She says she was a young teen at the time of the incident. "Geronimo was flirtatious with me and woke me up that night when I spent the night and asked me to sneak outside with him," the alleged victim told 8News.

"He let me know he was on the verge of divorce with his previous wife and that he was interested in me and had a crush on me one thing led to another we ended up in a park by the home my sister lived in. He pursued me, I went with it and we had intercourse in the park. I was 15 years old and he was 21," the woman said.

Source: Update: New Allegations Agains The ROC Church Pastor

Geronimo Aguilar faces life in prison in Texas. That's going to suck. 

***Update: Geronimo Aguilar is Phillip Aguilar's son. Any doubt I had that Geronimo is dirty is gone. His dad was and is a gangster who ran Set Free Ministries. A Christian biker gang in Southern California. You can read more here. 

I'm sure Davenport feels much safer

“none of the witnesses observed nor has anyone else reported any inappropriate behavior by Father Harness,”

- Bishop Martin Amos of the Diocese of Davenport

Biship Amos was commenting on an internal investigation that cleared Rev. Robert Harnes, the pastor of Holy Family Church, of wrongdoing. He was accused of inappropriately touching a child in 1990.

The Diocese of Davenport used a private detective to investigation the allegations. Somehow, I do not feel confident that this was an independent investigation… Nothing to see here Catholics of Davenport. Move along, but keep you kids close.