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Mike Malloy
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carmenjonze
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 Posted: Sun Apr 16, 2006 3:47 am Post subject: Haha, I love this thread!! |
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Hi Antifascist, i started and used to moderate the "Religion" section at the Randi Rhodes MB. there is a section there called "Christian Right Watch" which always gave me great pleasure...I certainly hope to be joining in the fun soon, here.
great work, don't ever stop! |
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antifascist
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| Posted: Sun Apr 16, 2006 4:08 am Post subject: |
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Hi Carmenjonze,
Do you have a link? I will visit it. |
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antifascist
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| Posted: Mon Apr 17, 2006 8:07 pm Post subject: Youth Pastor rapes 5 year old stepdaugther for years. |
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| Quote: | Man gets 10 years in daughter's rape
Web Posted: 06/18/2005 12:00 AM CDT
Tom Bower
Express-News Staff Writer
My San Antonio.com
A 66-year-old father of five was sentenced to 10 years in prison this week after pleading no contest to sexually assaulting one of his daughters beginning when she was 5 or 6.
In statements to police, the man admitted to being a heavy drinker and said he may have sometimes inadvertently fondled his daughter, but he did not remember doing so. He denied ever sexually assaulting her.
The case would not be that unusual if that were the whole story, child advocates confirmed.
But the man's daughter was at least his second underage sex victim, according to allegations made in a letter to the court.
The earlier victim was the child's mother.
In the chilling, eight-page letter, the mother, now 33, related how she was just 13 when she began having sex with the man who would later become her husband.
"I was 11 years old when I met him. He was married and was a youth pastor in our church," the mother wrote. "I looked up to (this man) as a father, but little did I know what would become. I, up to this point, was an abused child of other molesters. I trusted this information to (this man), as my youth pastor. Needless to say, he took advantage of that and approached me in a different way."
The San Antonio Express-News does not typically publish the names of sex-crime victims. Because the defendant and the victim are related, the Express-News is also withholding his name to protect the victim.
In her letter, the victim's mother goes on to say she became pregnant by the youth pastor with her first child when she was 13 and he was 46. She ran away from home to be with him and they had three more daughters by the time they were married in 1996.
"I always knew, somewhere in the back of my head, I always needed to protect my girls from him and I tried the best that I could," she wrote. "As the girls became older, I did and made sure he got everything he needed sexually so that he would not turn to the girls, and I believed I had won that battle."
Although she left her husband in 2000, the victim's mother said she continued to allow her girls to see their father and, at times, she would exchange sexual favors for cash "just to have food on the table for me and the girls."
But she reached a breaking point when she learned that her daughter had become a victim, too.
"When she began to tell me the acts (he did to her), I became sick to my stomach, for it was those same acts he had done to me. I knew I had to remain calm, but my worst nightmare was now being told to me by my very own daughter," the mother wrote.
The case, presided over by 144th District Judge Mark Luitjen, is not among the worst, prosecutors said, but it comes close.
"From my point of view, the fact that he was the victim's natural father, and the abuse started when she was 5 or 6, and he exposed his daughters to pornography, this is just a horrible, horrible crime," prosecutor Chris De Martino said.
The earliest the father would be eligible for parole is in five years. In addition, when he gets out of prison, he will have to register as a sex offender.
The court also received letters from the victim and two of her sisters. A stepbrother from a previous marriage pleaded with the judge to put his father on probation.
For her part, the victim, now 18, said she wanted her father to get help for his pedophilia.
"I do believe there is a good man somewhere in there. I do wish for him to get some sort of intense therapy, as well as some jail time. At least five years. I do believe it will be the only way for him to really get it. He's been free for too long," she said.
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antifascist
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| Posted: Wed Apr 19, 2006 3:10 am Post subject: United Christian Church Sunday school teacher arrested |
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| Quote: | 'Double life' boy-molester gets 5 to 20
By LES STEWART timesenterprise.com
Calling Jay Bachman a man who led a double life, a Lebanon County judge sentenced him yesterday to state prison for five to 20 years for sexually assaulting four pre-teen boys over a four-year period.
Bachman, who is 49 and lives at 400 Royal Road in North Cornwall Township, pleaded guilty in November to two counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, four counts of indecent assault and four counts of corruption of minors.
He admitted to inappropriately touching all four boys and performing sexual acts on two of them at different times between 1999 and 2003. Police said the incidents occurred in Bachman's home; in a cabin in the Cleona Camp Meeting of the United Christian Church in North Annville Township; at the home of Bachman's mother-in-law in Dornsife, Northumberland County; and at a home in Spring Garden Township, York County.
Judge Samuel A. Kline said that Bachman appeared to lead a life of respectability, working hard to make a success of his landscaping business, supporting his family and maintaining an active life in the Annville United Christian Church, where he was a Sunday school teacher at one time.
"Tragically, you also lived a dark, evil, second life, preying upon the young, helpless youth who came to you for help through the church," the judge said. "They placed in you their trust and faith. In return, they received your disgusting criminal conduct. You debased the very sanctuaries of safety home and church," Kline said.
Kline said he did not give Bachman a longer sentence because Bachman does not have a prior criminal record.
Bachman said he wishes he could turn back time.
"I'd do anything to relive those years," he said.
He apologized to the victims, their families, his own family and his church.
"I'm so incredibly sorry for what I did," Bachman said.
The father of one of the victims said the impact on his family was "immeasurable."
"We placed our child in the care of a man we trusted," the father said.
The father said he thought Bachman was a loving, caring man.
But Bachman committed acts that the father called "twisted and depraved."
The father said his family can only watch over his son and help him recover.
"Our child doesn't talk much of what happened," he said.
Bachman is married and has three daughters. For 25 years, he was the owner and operator of a home-based business, Bachman's Landscaping, said defense attorney Keith Wagner.
"Most people that Jay Bachman knew were shocked when they heard about these charges," Wagner said. "It seemed totally out of his character."
Jennifer Gettle, first assistant district attorney, said one of the more disturbing aspects of Bachman's behavior was that he selected and then prepared his victims for sex.
After yesterday's hearing, Gettle said the families were satisfied with the sentence Bachman received.
"They had a lot of questions about when he would be eligible for parole," Gettle said. She said she told them that the state parole board would decide when to grant parole to Bachman. The families asked that they be notified when he is scheduled for a parole hearing.
In addition to the prison sentence, Bachman was ordered to pay fines totaling $8,000.
Bachman was arrested on April 29 last year after an investigation by the Lebanon County Detective Bureau and police departments in North Cornwall and Annville townships. |
Last edited by antifascist on Thu Nov 02, 2006 4:19 am; edited 1 time in total |
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antifascist
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| Posted: Thu Apr 20, 2006 6:43 am Post subject: Youth leader at First Baptist Church arrested child porn |
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| Quote: | Chesterfield man charged with child sex abuse
Man, 31, faces 26 charges and is held on $1 million bond; police testify about graphic computer photos.
By Edward L. Cardenas / The Detroit News
Friday, August 12, 2005
http://www.detnews.com/2005/macomb/0508/12/B04-278214.htm
CHESTERFIELD TOWNSHIP -- A 31-year-old Chesterfield Township man who prosecutors say had a personality that attracted children was bound over for trial Thursday in Macomb Circuit Court on multiple counts of child sexual abuse.
Timothy Wayne Myers, who was known as "Temo," sat with his head bowed during a preliminary exam before 42-2 District Judge Paul Cassidy.
The hearing included graphic testimony of pornographic images of children investigators found on Myers' computer, including photos of least two local boys.
Macomb County Assistant Prosecutor Chad Davis, chief of the cyber crime unit, introduced four large binders of evidence that included thousands of computer pictures of naked children, including some Myers took himself. Some of the photos showed Myers involved in sexual acts with children, prosecutors said.
Cassidy on Thursday raised Myers' bond from $200,000 to $1 million.
"This is just a horrible, horrible offense here," Cassidy said. "I understand why the prosecutor wanted a $1 million bond."
Myers, a married father of two children whose wife is expecting a third, faces 26 counts of child sexual abusive activity and criminal sexual conduct. Steven Freers, Myers' attorney, said he plans to get an expert to study whether the Internet photos could have been tampered with.
"I am trying to clarify the facts of the case," he said.
The Macomb Area Computer Enforcement unit began investigating the case in March after receiving a tip from the FBI of a local man who had been uploading images of child pornography.
The unit investigated his in-laws' home in Chesterfield Township, and his home in Manistique in the Upper Peninsula, where he had been working as a group home manager for trouble children. Within a month, he moved back to Chesterfield with his in-laws and voluntarily cooperated with Sheriff's investigators.
Comparing information with the FBI, investigators were able to link Myers to some cold cases and possibly provide leads in other national cases.
Myers, who previously was a youth leader at First Baptist Church in Washington Township, could face life in prison if convicted. |
| Quote: | Former Youth Group Leader Faces Sex Charges
Images Allegedly Reveal Criminal Sexual Conduct
June 15, 2005
http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/4612266/detail.html
The former leader of a Washington Township youth group is facing 26 charges in connection with the sexual assault of children.
The Macomb Area Computer Enforcement unit arrested Timothy Wayne Myers (pictured, left), 31, of Chesterfield Township, after receiving a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited children and the FBI regarding a suspect who had been uploading child pornography images, the Macomb County Sheriff's Department said.
Myers was arraigned Wednesday on three counts of child sexually abusive activity, a 20-year felony; three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, a life felony; two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct, a 15-year felony; four counts of distributing or promoting child sexually abusive activity, a seven-year felony; 10 counts of using computers to commit a crime, a seven-year felony; and four counts of possession of child sexually abusive material, a four-year felony, according to the Sheriff's Department.
Myers previously worked as the boy's youth group leader at the First Baptist Church on Van Dyke in Washington Township, according to the Sheriff's Department. He had since relocated to Manistique, Mich., where he was working as a group home manager for troubled children at the Indian River Teaching Family Home, the Sheriff's Department said.
Michigan State Police executed a search warrant with the assistance of Manistique authorities. The Sheriff's Department said several pieces of evidence were seized during the search.
MACE investigators discovered that in addition to being in possession of child sexually abusive material, Myers was also manufacturing the sexually abusive material with known male victims ages 8 and 10, the Sheriff's Department said.
Myers has been incarcerated in the Macomb County Jail since he was arrested on April 21. He was initially charged with a single count of manufacturing and distribution of child sexually abusive material, the Sheriff's Department said. Further investigation revealed that Myers was depicted in several of the images, committing first-degree and second-degree criminal sexual conduct on boys, the Sheriff's Department said.
Several hundred images depicting children engaged in sexual acts were also discovered.
A bond was set at $200,000 during Wednesday's arraignment in 42-2 District Court. |
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antifascist
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| Posted: Thu Apr 20, 2006 8:56 pm Post subject: Rev. James Simpsoncharged 19 counts of child molestation |
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| Quote: | Trial Begins for Pastor Charged With Child Molestation
April Davis
WSAV News 3
Thursday, July 14, 2005
[url=http://www.wsav.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSAV/MGArticle/SAV_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031783849156&path=!frontpage]WSAV News[/url]
The trial has begun in Chatham County for a 69-year-old pastor accused of molesting 4 girls. James Simpson is charged with 19 counts of child molestation and sexual acts. The prosecution says while he was an associate pastor at Saint Luke's Baptist Church, he encouraged the 4 girls to go to church and sing in the choir. Police say he molested the girls from 1997 until 2003. |
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UCSBLiberalKitty53
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| Posted: Thu Apr 20, 2006 10:12 pm Post subject: Judging from the deafening silence heard from the Religious |
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Right, I guess gay marriage is so much worse than child rape  |
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antifascist
Guest
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| Posted: Sat Apr 22, 2006 4:15 am Post subject: Choir director Bright Hope Baptist Church rapes girls |
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| Quote: | Choir director at Bright Hope Baptist Church arrested for raping two girls
By Jacqueline Soteropoulos
Inquirer Staff Writer
Posted on Sat, Jun. 25, 2005
Philly.com
Jurors yesterday convicted a 28-year-old West Oak Lane music teacher of raping two girls who were his students.
Otis Joseph, of the 7300 block of Walnut Lane, was found guilty of all charges and faces a mandatory minimum five to 10 years in prison when he is sentenced Sept. 28.
Joseph's mother and girlfriend openly wept when the jury announced its verdicts, and Common Pleas Court Judge Shelley Robins New immediately revoked Joseph's bail. Joseph, who had been choir director at Bright Hope Baptist Church, was escorted from the courtroom by sheriff's deputies.
During the eight-day trial, a 15-year-old girl testified that Joseph, her music teacher, repeatedly raped her, beginning when she was 11 and continuing until she revealed the abuse at a West Oak Lane Church of God retreat last year.
Two of the church's pastors testified they were present when Joseph confessed to the sexual encounters, after the girl's mother confronted him.
The girl's best friend also testified that Joseph raped her once in February 2004, when she was 14.
Joseph taught both girls sixth-grade music at Germantown Settlement Charter School. He continued to teach the first victim at his private music school, Standing Ovations.
Joseph testified Tuesday that he never touched either girl. He said the teens, their mothers and the two pastors were lying.
The jury of nine women and three men deliberated for three days before reaching their verdicts: guilty of two counts each of rape, sexual assault and statutory sexual assault, plus related charges.
Assistant District Attorney Richard DeSipio later told reporters that the jury "gave justice to two brave little girls... . To confront someone who was popular in the community, [the girls] perhaps saved hundreds of other potential victims."
Jurors never heard that Joseph faces additional charges of abusing other young girls.
In separate cases, he is charged with molesting three sisters and having a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl.
Joseph's attorney, Keith Dews, said he would talk to his client about reaching plea agreements in the other cases.
"Given this verdict, it certainly changes... the defense we would put up," Dews said. "At this point, I'm trying to save him as much of his life as I can."
After his arrest last year, Joseph continued to direct an adult choir at Bright Hope Baptist Church.
In February, a judge ordered that Joseph have no unsupervised contact with children at work.
The Rev. William H. Gray 3d, minister of Bright Hope, said last week that church leaders had decided that Joseph would no longer lead the youth choir while charges were pending.
After the verdicts were announced, Bright Hope attorney Bernard Lee said that Joseph would be terminated immediately. Lee said Gray would have no further comment on the matter.
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antifascist
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| Posted: Sun Apr 23, 2006 5:37 am Post subject: Holy Tabernacle Church Musician arrested for rape of child. |
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| Quote: | Chid sex charge leveled at Holy Tabernacle Church member.
(June 21, 2005)
Zwire.com
ROSEBORO - A Roseboro teen-ager has been charged by Sampson County Sheriff's authorities with sexual offenses on a minor, stemming from an alleged incident last January, according to information from the Sheriff's Office.
Terrance Howard, 19, of 705 N. Pine St., Roseboro, was charged with statutory rape/sexual offense with the defendant more than four and less than six years older than the victim and taking indecent liberties with a child.
Howard's bond was set at $50,000.
According to reports, Howard was arrested at his residence at 4:30 a.m. Sunday.
Sheriff's Sgt. Lora Blanchard said that the two charges against Jordan stem from the same incident, alleged to have taken place on Jan. 7, 2005. The incident involved a minor who was between 13 and 15 years of age at the time of the offense.
In the arrest reports, it states under "occupation" that Howard played keyboard at Holy Tabernacle Church in Roseboro.
Howard has a court date of July 1.
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antifascist
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| Posted: Mon Apr 24, 2006 5:35 am Post subject: Methodist pastor raped & sodomized choir director |
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| Quote: | Methodist pastor raped & sodomized choir director.
By Emanuella Grinberg, Court TV
Findlaw.com
(Court TV) — A Methodist pastor who was accused of raping a choir director in his congregation died early Wednesday, almost two months after a Missouri jury found his former employers liable for his actions.
David Finestead, 61, died in his home in Louisburg, Kan., surrounded by his two adult children and wife, Mary, a statement on his Web site, David Finestead Ministries, reported.
Finestead was diagnosed with colon cancer in October 2004, and had been receiving in-home hospice care. Services for "Dr. Dave" will be held Saturday.
Up until his death, Finestead steadfastly maintained his innocence against allegations that he raped and sodomized choir director Teresa Norris on March 25, 1998, in her office at the Campbell United Methodist Church in Springfield.
In May, a Missouri jury awarded plaintiff Norris $2 million in compensatory damages and $4 million in punitive damages from the church for intentional failure to supervise clergy.
Norris claimed in her 1999 suit that Finestead raped her in retaliation for resigning from her job after he allegedly made several unwanted sexual advances.
Norris' lawyers produced evidence of similar "gender-biased" complaints made against Finestead immediately following his arrival at the Campbell United Methodist Church in 1995.
Norris alleged the church should have taken greater action on the previous complaints and that its failure to do so resulted in grave psychological trauma for which she is still receiving treatment.
Lawyers representing the church claimed it was not responsible for Finestead's actions, and questioned Norris' mental health and history of extramarital affairs.
Norris did not report the alleged rape to police, and Finestead was never arrested or charged.
Finestead was dropped from the suit before the trial began and did not attend any of the proceedings because of his illness. Because he was not party to the suit, he was never found guilty of any wrongdoing.
"We're going after the church for not doing anything. They could have prevented this," Fletcher told Courttv.com. "Finestead was uncontrollable, and the only one who could have controlled him was the church, his boss."
Half of the $4 million in punitive damages awarded went to the state's Tort Victims' Compensation Fund, which helps to compensate plaintiffs injured due to negligence who are unable to obtain full compensation from the party at fault. |
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antifascist
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| Posted: Mon Apr 24, 2006 11:29 pm Post subject: Youth Leader at Fresno's Northwest Church rapes boys. |
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| Quote: | Former Church Youth Leader To Be Tried
http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/news/032905_nw_church_leader.html
March 29, 2005 — A former Valley church youth volunteer is headed to trial.
A judge ruled there is enough evidence for Jamie Soria to be tried on charges of child molestation.
Soria worked at Fresno's Northwest Church for 10 years.
The church contacted police after a boy came forward in July saying Soria molested him six years ago.
Prosecutors say a total of three young men have since come forward.
If convicted Soria faces a possible life sentence. |
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carmenjonze
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| Posted: Tue Apr 25, 2006 12:16 am Post subject: |
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| antifascist wrote: | Hi Carmenjonze,
Do you have a link? I will visit it. |
antifascist - sorry i missed this.
try this link. they added a "Pat Robertson" subsection, i see.
http://tinyurl.com/ehk3s |
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antifascist
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| Posted: Tue Apr 25, 2006 9:09 pm Post subject: Lloyd Coats, Devan Black, Jesse Stanley arrested for molesti |
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| Quote: | Child Molestation and A Pastor’s Obligation
By GREGORY PHILLIPS
Of The Record Staff
dunndailyrecord.com
3/29/2005
Recent and ongoing cases of child abuse have highlighted a dichotomy within some local churches — how to reconcile accusations of abuse against a member while protecting the rest of the flock.
The first three months of 2005 have seen a succession of allegations of child molestation involving suspects who had access to children through churches. The question remains as to how much, if any, the pastors at the respective churches knew about what was going on and what action they should have taken.
Erwin mailman Lloyd Coats was charged with molesting more than 20 young girls, some while driving a bus for Erwin Church of God. Devan Black was charged with molesting boys while he was a commander in the Royal Rangers program at Gospel Tabernacle Church.
Another case resolved in Harnett County Superior Court last month has left the victim’s family concerned at the reluctance of the suspect’s pastor to discuss a confession the suspect made in a room full of people.
Jesse R. “Buddy” Stanley, 62, of 907 Duke St. in Erwin, was arrested in March 2004 and charged with three counts of indecent liberties with a minor after allegedly touching a female family member inappropriately over a three-year period at his home, while she was between the ages of 10 and 13. He pleaded guilty last month and was given a suspended sentence and placed on probation for five years.
The girl’s parents said Mr. Stanley confessed after they confronted him at their home in January 2004 after discovering what had happened when their daughter confided to a friend. The mother said the Rev. Phil Davis, Mr. Stanley’s pastor at Prospect Free Will Baptist Church in Erwin, was there when the family confronted Mr. Stanley. She said Rev. Davis asked Mr. Stanley most of the questions.
“At first he flatly denied it,” she said. “But then he did admit to doing these things.”
Mr. Stanley was subsequently arrested, but the victim’s mother said she was disappointed Rev. Davis didn’t tell law enforcement what he heard that night.
“He has not done what he should,” she said. “He’s got the same responsibility as a social worker or a teacher.
“I just don’t understand how he can get up in the pulpit and preach and he didn’t do right by a child,” she said.
Attempts to reach Rev. Davis for this story were unsuccessful.
Officer Wade said he talked to Rev. Davis about the statements Mr. Stanley made in his presence. Rev. Davis didn’t want to discuss what was said, according to Officer Wade.
“He was saying he felt he couldn’t say too much because of his church, where you can talk to a pastor with confidentiality,” Officer Wade said. “He said he felt it would hurt his congregation, where they possibly couldn’t talk with him, felt like they couldn’t confide in him or whatever.”
Officer Wade said Rev. Davis would have been subpoenaed if the case had gone to trial.
“We were ready to go to trial and the ducks were in a row,” Officer Wade said. “If we had went to trial then the pastor would have definitely been subpoenaed to court.”
Obligation
Officer Wade said he doubted Rev. Davis’ testimony would have violated any confidence, since Mr. Stanley made his admission in front of several witnesses. However, he also said pastors are obligated to share any information of that nature.
“Anybody is,” Officer Wade said. “He definitely would be. We would have had no problem subpoenaing him at all.”
Sheriff Rollins said a pastor’s obligation to report criminal behavior relayed to him depends on the circumstances.
“If he gets it third-hand, where it’s being divulged to him through a third party, that’s a little different than if the person who committed the crime confesses to him directly,” the sheriff said.
Sheriff Rollins said if someone admits to a pastor they committed a crime — or reveals they were a victim of crime — and they ask for complete confidentiality, the pastor must honor that request.
If a victim contacts a pastor and asks for help bringing a criminal to justice, “then he’s obligated, at that point,” Sheriff Rollins said. “But if he’s been asked for confidentiality, he’s bound by that.”
The Rev. Dan Deaton of Lillington, director of missions at the Little River Baptist Association, said a pastor’s confidence is sacred and essential to the health of the church and its congregation. However, an admission of child abuse falls outside the protection of such confidence, he said.
“The only thing by law I have to report is if someone I observe or have been told is beating or molesting a child,” Rev. Deaton said. “Other than that, a person should be able to expect complete confidentiality in their pastor. If you can’t trust a person to listen to you and to keep what you tell them, then how can you trust them with the spiritual direction they’re giving you?”
Rev. Deaton said if someone confided in him they had abused children, he would be honest with them about what action he would have to take.
“My response would be to tell them up front, this is something I can’t hide or cover up,” he said. “You can’t cover up that kind of thing. That doesn’t work.”
It has been rumored the behavior of Lloyd Coats, who was indicted on 26 felony counts last week, was reported to his church leaders, who didn’t contact law enforcement.
Currie Parker was pastor of Erwin Church of God at the time some of the alleged incidents occurred on the bus Mr. Coats drove there. Officer Wade said he spoke informally to Mr. Parker around the time Mr. Coats was arrested and said he could become a part of the trial.
Pastor May Have To Testify
“If he goes to court there is a high probability the pastor would be subpoenaed,” Officer Wade said.
Mr. Parker has declined to talk to The Daily Record about the ongoing case.
One arrest earlier this month came about specifically because a pastor shared information with authorities, Sheriff Rollins said.
Karen Marie Mosack, 29, of Heritage Way in Cameron, was charged March 14 after a pastor notified social services he had been told she was having sex with a 15-year-old boy.
Sheriff Rollins said according to the report, “the pastor stated the victim is sneaking out of his residence at night and going to the suspect’s residence.”
As a result of that information, warrants were drawn and Ms. Mosack turned herself in at the sheriff’s department March 14. She was charged with statutory rape and jailed under $50,000 secured bond.
As churches grapple with a problem that recent cases suggest isn’t going away, the loved ones of Mr. Stanley’s victim are left with the emotional fallout — pain, guilt, helplessness — caused by abuse on the part of someone they trusted.
“Personally I think my daughter will be affected the rest of her life,” the girl’s father said.
“She doesn’t talk about this,” her mother said. “She keeps it in. I wish she wouldn’t.”
They’re concerned that if pastors don’t confront these cases when they occur, people like Mr. Stanley won’t get the treatment they need and more children will be hurt.
“That’s not helping him,” the victim’s mother said. “It’s not helping anybody, really.” |
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antifascist
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 3:02 am Post subject: Trinity Worship Center Rev.Franklin molested 14 yrs. boy. |
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| Quote: | Trinity Worship Center Rev.Franklin molested 14 yrs. boy.
March 30,2005
Brittney Booth
The Monitor
EDINBURG : Former Trinity Worship Center minister Robert Dale Franklin will spend six months in jail and a decade on probation after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a 14-year-old boy who he had agreed to spiritually mentor.
State District Judge Mario Ramirez on Tuesday sentenced Franklin, 38, after hearing testimony from the boy's family, Franklin's supporters and Franklin himself.
"There is no excuse for any of your actions," the judge told Franklin who pleaded guilty last week to two felony counts of sexual assault and admitted to a drug problem.
Franklin's guilty plea halted a jury trial and allowed him to avoid 10 other felony counts a grand jury indicted him with, including charges he gave marijuana and cocaine to the boy.
In addition to the jail time and probation, Ramirez ordered Franklin to complete 240 hours of community service and pay a $10,000 fine.
As part of his parole, Franklin will have to wear an electronic monitor, attend a 90-day drug treatment program and enroll in the county's sex offender program. He will have to register as a sex offender in each city he lives in for the rest of his life.
Hidalgo County Assistant District Attorney Monica Barron Auger had asked the court to give Franklin jail time.
Sexual assault is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. The judge told Franklin he will go to jail for 20 years if he violates any of his parole conditions.
Ramirez then directed his bailiff to place Franklin in handcuffs, despite Franklin's lawyer's request to turn him in at a later day.
"He's under arrest," the judge said.
As bailiffs led Franklin out of Ramirez's packed courtroom, the victim's mother and sister cried hysterically and told prosecutors "he will do it again."
The Monitor's policy is not to name victims of sexual abuse or their immediate family members to protect the victim's identity.
Franklin's lawyer Charles Banker told The Monitor he was pleased that the judge saw, "that Mr. Franklin would be a good candidate for probation. This is what we were hoping for when we entered the (guilty) plea."
Ramirez's ruling came after emotional testimony from the victim's family. The boy did not attend the hearing because of health reasons, his mother told court. Another juvenile is now serving jail time for assaulting the boy after he told him that he had been using drugs with Franklin. The attack, which allegedly occurred at Franklin's request, left the boy so badly wounded that he needed several operations and doctors removed his spleen.
The boy's mother cried as she read a statement her son prepared for the court. The boy met Franklin at church, and asked him to become his spiritual mentor because he idolized Franklin. Now he fears Franklin will kill him or his family.
"When I was around (Franklin), I felt somewhat invincible and was on top of the world. I felt like no matter what happened, he would protect me," the boy wrote.
The boy said he confessed to Franklin that he had tried marijuana once . Franklin then produced the drug and asked the boy if he wanted some. They later did cocaine together and though the boy admitted being confused about the drugs, he thought, "Well, if Rob does it, it must be OK."
The boy stated that during each of their sexual contacts, he had been intoxicated and would have never engaged in the activity if he had been sober. The boy also admitted that he deeply regretted what had happened and had considered suicide.
The victim's mother said she fears he may hurt himself. He stays awake a night looking out the window afraid that Franklin will come after him, she said.
"He says Rob is going to come kill him for telling the truth," she said. "He says he'd rather have Rob kill him than hurt his sister or us."
Since the assault, the boy has been to the hospital nine times, takes antidepressants, sleeping pills and antibiotics, she said.
Banker asked if she knew her son had called Rob several times on his cell.
"I don't believe that," she said.
The boy's 12-year-old sister also read to the court a prepared statement. She also fears Franklin would harm her brother and that her brother's medical condition would take his life.
"I don't know how to pray anymore but sometimes I just pray that Jesus will come and take us (my family) to heaven because I know that (sic) is no pain in heaven," she wrote. "I know it's wrong to commit suicide but I think Jesus would forgive us 'I've asked my mom to just give us all sleeping pills so we could all go to sleep together and go to heaven. We wouldn't have to think about (Franklin) or feel this pain anymore. But Mom says that's not the answer."
Franklin's probation officer Ricardo Guerrero Jr. prepared a sentencing investigation for the judge. He testified that Franklin had on criminal history but admitted to an incident with a 17-year-old in Montana.
He said Franklin blames others for his actions and is chemically dependent.
Banker then called two other young men who Franklin ministered. They testified that Franklin helped turn them away from a life of drugs and that he had never made any sexual advances toward them.
Franklin then testified on his own behalf, telling the court his brother, a minister, "led me to Christ" at age 12.
"God wanted to use me to do good. That's what I set out to do from that point on," he said. "I believed God called me to help people. That's what I set me life out to do."
Franklin came to Trinity Worship Center in 1999 to lead the church's music programs. At the request of the youth pastor, he also helped with the youth program. Franklin, who is not ordained, is enrolled at the University of Texas-Pan American to obtain his masters and become a license counselor.
Franklin said the boy had come to him seeking help from troubles he was having with other church members and that the boy's mother had asked him to help her son,
He said he felt uncomfortable he because of their age difference.
"I told her it's going to be hard for me because I'm involved in so many things but let's see what we can do.""
In 2003, the church experienced a pastoral change and Franklin took on more responsibility. He said he became angry when he requested but was denied a three-month sabbatical.
"In the midst of all that, I wound up succumbing to pressure and I myself began to use drugs," Franklin said.
Some of the youth Franklin ministered to had given him marijuana to get rid of them, but did not turn them into authorities because "I really cared for these individuals and I wanted to get them turned around. They saw me as a safe haven."
He kept the marijuana for several months before smoking it in October 2003. He then began to use marijuana and cocaine on the weekends as an "escape" but became dependent. He did drugs by himself and did not think that other church members, who he lived with, knew of his habit.
"My heart has always been to do right. People that know me know that," he said.
Franklin testified that the boy came over on several occasions because the boy did not want to stay at his home. Late one night, Franklin said he had been using drugs when he started talking with the boy, who he claimed was also high. The two then smoked marijuana together.
"The sexual thing started basically one night I had gone out and got pretty messed up," with alcohol, marijuana and cocaine, Franklin said.
When he came home, the boy was there and appeared to be under the influence of drugs as well. The two started watching a movie in Franklin's bedroom and fell asleep. They later awoke and "that's when the first sexual (incident) occurred."
Franklin said the incidents occurred again but he never threatened or forced the boy and that the acts had been consensual.
Asked by Baker to express his regret, Franklin bit his lip and said he'd thought about what had happened often. He said the media reports about him were untrue but he if he held back the truth, it would balance "the untruths people were saying."
Franklin said he choose not to fight the allegations against him that did occur.
"I can't tell you how sorry I am for what has happened," Franklin said, responding to his attorney's questions. "I don't know what to say to any of them (the boy's family.) I made a mistake, a gross error in judgement. A lot of mistakes have been made."
He told the victim's family that he understood their struggle.
"If there was anything I could do to bring restoration, that's what I would want because I know that's what God wants. As spiritual beings, do your best to allow that to happen. I'm deeply sorry," he said. "I pray because that's all I have left in my own spirit. Restoration can come for everybody if we allow it, if we do not harbor bitterness, anger. We all know the power of Christ' finding a place at the foot of the cross. That's all I can say. I'm very sorry."
Franklin apologized to his family, to the church and other believers in Christ.
"I want them to always believer there is a God that can help us because there is. I do believe that all my life God has used me to steer people in the right direction. I've made mistakes, I've done wrong but my heart has always been in the right place," he said. |
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antifascist
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| Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 8:45 pm Post subject: Televangelist Rev. Larry Allen Day rapes 15 yr. girl. |
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| Quote: | Ex-pastor is accused of raping girl
LEXINGTON (KY)
Herald-Leader
March 25, 2005
By Valarie Honeycutt Spears
HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER
[url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?s_site=kentucky&p_multi=LH|&p_product=LH&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_text_search-0=Rev.%20AND%20Larry%20AND%20Allen%20AND%20Day%20AND%20televangelist&s_dispstring=Rev.%20Larry%20Allen%20Day%20televangelist%20AND%20date(last%20180%20days)&p_field_date-0=YMD_date&p_params_date-0=date:B,E&p_text_date-0=-180qzD&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweights=no]Kentucky.com[/url]
Just before Christmas, police arrested a 58-year-old former televangelist most recently associated with a Lexington funeral home and charged him with third-degree rape of a 15-year-old girl.
The Rev. Larry Allen Day is the former pastor of churches in Monticello and Lexington and, until his arrest, helped Lexington families with funeral pre-planning as an independent contractor associated with Milward Funeral Directors.
Vice President Rob Milward said Day kept an office at the funeral home but wasn't considered an employee and hasn't been associated with the business since his December arrest.
"Larry is a family man," said Milward. "We are dumfounded by the charges against him."
The accusations against Day are laid out in records from Fayette Circuit Court, where Day is next scheduled to appear April 1:
On Dec. 16, 2004, the mother of a 15-year-old girl went to the girl's Fayette County school to report that the girl had been repeatedly subjected to sexual contact by Day, according to a search warrant affidavit. |
Last edited by antifascist on Sun Apr 30, 2006 7:12 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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antifascist
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| Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2006 8:42 pm Post subject: Christian Academy Principle Jensen Arrested molested 2 boys |
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| Quote: | A Lighthouse and Christ Centered Always Christian Academy Principle Jensen arrested for molesting two boys.
Posted: Friday, Mar 18, 2005 - 09:06:58 am PST
By KEITH KINNAIRD
Daily Bee.com
SANDPOINT -- A scheduling conflict has put off a preliminary hearing for a religious school educator accused of sexually abusing a former student.
Sigard Allen Jensen's hearing was to be held last Wednesday, but defense counsel Gary Amendola was granted a continuance because the hearing fell on the same day Amendola was to argue a case in Kootenai County.
Jensen's preliminary hearing has been rescheduled for April 13 in the magistrate division of 1st District Court. The state does not have to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt during the hearing; it merely has to show it's more likely than not Jensen committed the offenses he's charged with.
Jensen, who is free on $200,000 bail, faces a district court trial if the judge finds for the state during the preliminary hearing.
It's the second time the hearing has been postponed. The first hearing in February was put off because Amendola had recently taken the case and needed time to prepare with his client.
Jensen, 59, is charged with one count of engaging in lewd conduct with a boy from 1999 to 2001. The second charge covers sexual encounters with the boy in 2001 and 2002, according to charging documents.
The alleged victim was between the ages of 13 and 17 when the acts took place, court documents say.
The accusations against Jensen came to light in October 2004, while the teen was undergoing counseling for depression. During subsequent interviews with Sandpoint Police, the teen told investigators the abuse started when he was a student and Jensen was a principal at a Christian school in Cocolalla. The teen alleges the abuse escalated when the teen began attending ALACCA Christian Academy in Sandpoint, where Jensen is the principal.
Jensen is reportedly on leave from ALACCA, which is an acronym for A Lighthouse and Christ Centered Always. |
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antifascist
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| Posted: Sun Apr 30, 2006 7:12 pm Post subject: Rev.Crocker of Lakeview Christian Church molested child |
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| Quote: | Garland pastor charged with child indecency
08:37 PM CST on Wednesday, March 16, 2005
By GRETEL C. KOVACH / The Dallas Morning News
Dallas News.com
A pastor from Garland was arrested Wednesday on charges of indecent contact with a boy from his Dallas church.
Larry Crocker, 56, was charged with two counts of indecency with a child stemming from reported incidents at his Garland home in recent months, according to Garland police.
Mr. Crocker has been head minister of Lakeview Christian Church, a Disciples of Christ congregation of about 60 members, for four years, said Brian Cook, a church trustee.
Mr. Cook, 57, said he had known Mr. Crocker since kindergarten.
"He grew up in the church, as did I," he said. "All of us are totally stunned by the allegations. We do not believe the allegations to be true. We're going to be in a lot of prayer and will stand behind Larry in this."
Church leaders expect to name an interim minister later this week, he said.
Police identified the accuser and his parents as church members but did not release the boy's name or age.
Mr. Crocker, who was arrested at his home in the 5800 block of Marvin Loving Drive, is being held at the Garland Municipal Jail in lieu of $10,000 bail on one of the indecency charges. He also had outstanding traffic warrants in Garland and Lewisville of slightly more than $1,000, police said.
Mr. Crocker is awaiting arraignment on the second charge of indecency with a child and could be transferred today to Lew Sterrett Justice Center in Dallas.
Indecency with a child by contact is a second-degree felony punishable by two to 20 years in prison.
"Certainly a pastor is somebody you trust. I'm sure they knew him well and felt safe with him. But you always have to be careful," said Officer Joe Harn, a Garland police spokesman. "It is devastating when something like this happens." |
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antifascist
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| Posted: Mon May 01, 2006 9:26 pm Post subject: Agape Christian Fellowship Pastor Arrested rape with drug. |
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| Quote: | Agape Christian Fellowship Pastor Arrested for Drugging victim with GHB and rape.
10:29 PM CST on Monday, March 14, 2005
By YOLANDA WALKER / WFAA-TV Wfaa.com
New charges have been filed against a popular Arlington pastor arrested last week after he was accused of several sex assaults.
Hornbuckle will be allowed to remain free on bond, but under county supervision.
"One of the conditions is that he must wear an ankle monitor," said Harry Grisham of the Tarrant County Sheriff's Department. "The other conditions are no alcohol, no drugs and no firearms. He'll have to submit to a urinalysis with probation officers on a regular basis."
The original indictments said the 43-year old pastor, married with three children, sexually assaulted three of his members - one of them twice. Two of the alleged victims said Hornbuckle led them to a Euless apartment complex, fixed them drinks laced with date-rape drug GHB and then took advantage of them.
WFAA-TV
Terry Hornbuckle leaves the Tarrant County jail on Monday. Police found several additional items in Hornbuckle's SUV following his arrest on Friday, including between one and four grams of methamphetamine, which led to the drug charges filed Monday.
Two meetings were held at the church Monday night to discuss its future. Church board member Charles Richardson read a statement.
"The work of Agape Christian Fellowship has not changed," Richardson said. "Lives are being touched, people are hearing the good news ... we are 100 percent committed to the work God is doing."
Hornbuckle issued a statement at the beginning of the investigation, saying "I am completely innocent of the charges I have been wrongfully accused of, and this is extortion plain and simple, which I won't surrender to. These individuals wanted me to pay them millions of dollars in hush money, and as I refused, they are making outrageous, wrongful and malicious accusations." |
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antifascist
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| Posted: Tue May 02, 2006 6:52 pm Post subject: Rev. Balfe arrested for Raping and Beating Children |
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| Quote: | Rev. Balfe arrested for Raping and Beating Children
By PATRICIO G. BALONA
www.news-journalonline.com
ncrnews.org
Last update: October 29, 2005
DELAND -- Charles Balfe, a self-described Internet evangelist, sought out women who had children and used his "father figure" authority to sexually and physically abuse the women and children, a prosecutor said Friday.
In a day of wrenching testimony from young witnesses, Assistant State Attorney Tammy Jacques argued before Circuit Judge S. James Foxman at an evidentiary hearing that Balfe carefully orchestrated his move to get close to people with children. Jacques wants the court to accept the testimony of two people from Oklahoma who say they were sexually abused by Balfe.
Jacques argued the Oklahoma case -- which she says occurred in the 1960s and 70s -- is relevant because of similarities to the sexual attacks Balfe is charged with here. "The defendant was a father figure in each of the cases," Jacques said.
Balfe was arrested in April by DeLand police, accused of raping a child younger than 13. He was charged with capital sexual battery on a child younger than 12, lewd and lascivious molestation on a child younger than 12 and domestic violence. He remains in jail; his trial is scheduled for Dec. 5.
Balfe's attorney, Jay Crocker, challenged the prosecution, saying the Oklahoma witnesses' testimonies are remote and not relevant to the DeLand case.
"The state is trying to get in evidence of other crimes my client is not charged with," Crocker said. "We are contesting the admissibility of that evidence."
Witnesses who testified Friday portrayed Balfe as a man who ruled his home with physical violence, death threats, Bible lectures and extreme discipline to keep children quiet about his sexual attacks. He beat the children with walking sticks, shoes and stomped on them when they fell to the floor, a witness said.
Reports show how one child suffered a ruptured eardrum when Balfe hit him. He punished them by sodomizing them with popsicles and made them wait until it all melted and then ordered them to "clean up the mess," a witness testified Friday.
He always carried a gun and had a closet full of rifles, handguns, shotguns and knives, witnesses said.
A woman, who said Balfe started molesting her when she was 13 years old, said Balfe quoted verses from the Old Testament, explaining that men back then had more than one woman, "so it is quite OK" in God's eyes for her to have sex with him, she said.
Another witness, a boy, said Balfe began molesting at age 9. After Balfe forced him to perform oral sex on him, he threatened he would kill him if he told on him, the boy testified.
"He said that he would have someone kill me and that no one would know," the boy said.
An Oklahoma woman said her nightmarish experience of sexual abuse by Balfe began when she was 6 years old. She stood up in court pointing a finger at Balfe, saying he would make her sit on his lap and he would rub his privates against her and say "she was his special one and that is what fathers do."
"He told me it was OK, that he was preparing me to be a woman," the witness said.
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| Quote: | April 28, 2005
'Internet evangelist' held on child rape charges
children.safepassagefoundation.org
DELAND -- A self-described Internet evangelist who has preached about everything from morality to spirituality on his family's Web site was arrested Wednesday and charged with raping a child younger than 12.
Charles Michael Balfe, 60, was picked up at his job site at 84 Lumber in DeLand, DeLand Police Cmdr. Randel Henderson said. He is being held at the Volusia County Branch Jail without bail.
Balfe, married and the father of three, is accused in three warrants of raping a child younger than 12, Henderson said. The remaining counts accuse him of sexual battery, lewd and lascivious molestation and domestic violence.
Court records show Balfe was divorced in 1998 and remarried in October 1999. While the Web site identifies him as an "Internet evangelist," the site doesn't mention his educational background or his connection to any organized theological group.
On his Web site's Frequently Asked Questions page, Balfe notes he doesn't have "a permanently constructed building that we own and maintain" for church services, but does have "an assembly of other Jesus believers" as members.
To the question of whether he is a Christian, Balfe's response is: "Yes, and also a born-again believer."
On the site, Balfe denies his group is a cult.
As of Wednesday morning, the Web site for the First Christian Church/Disciples of Christ of DeLand listed Balfe as a member and linked to Jesusbelievers.beliefnet.com, which was described as a Web site of the Balfe family's ministry.
But those references were removed from the First Christian Church Web site by Wednesday night, when churchgoers at First Christian attended services.
A group assembled outside the church after the service and most did not want to comment.
Courtney Myers, a 15-year-old member of the First Christian Church, said she was surprised by Balfe's arrest.
"He appears to be a nice man," Myers said.
The Balfe family used to attend Wednesday services regularly, Myers said, but she hasn't seen them lately.
"They would all sit down for dinner and stay for youth services," she said. "They looked like a normal, happy family."
Knocks at Balfe's North Orange Avenue home Wednesday went unanswered and neighbors avoided questions.
Jesusbelievers.beliefnet.com includes information promoting prayer in schools, a What Would Jesus Do? checklist and a discussion about heaven and hell.
The Web site also features a family portrait of Balfe, his wife and their three children and includes the question, "Do you see guardian angels in this picture?"
Circuit Judge S. James Foxman ordered Balfe held without bail on the domestic violence count, which supersedes the $1 million amounts for each of the sexual abuse charges, jail officials said.
Police would not say whether Balfe's wife was the victim of the domestic violence or when the incidents happened, although court records indicate the attacks occurred at Balfe's home in 2000.
Daytona Beach News-Journal, USA
Apr, 28, 2005
Lyda Longa, Staff Writer
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antifascist
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| Posted: Wed May 03, 2006 4:33 pm Post subject: Christian Youth Camp Dir. Swan arrested |
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Christian Youth Camp Dir. Swan arrested for...guess again.
Notice the article starts out as "former church camp director Isaac Swan." That is because Swan was arrested for rape, but was the director at the time of the rape.
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Isaac Swan gets 30 years in prison for sexual crimes
By Vicky Wicks, Journal Staff Writer
Friday, June 10, 2005
Rapid City Journal.com
DEADWOOD -- Former church camp director Isaac Swan, convicted in Lawrence County on April 13 of 20 felony sex crimes, will spend at least 15 years in prison under the terms of a sentence handed down Thursday.
Fourth Circuit Judge Timothy Johns gave Swan, 31, Rapid City, a 15-year sentence on each of 19 counts of statutory rape and one count of sexual contact with a minor. Two of the 15-year terms are consecutive, resulting in a 30-year prison sentence, according to Lawrence County State's Attorney John Fitzgerald.
The other 18 sentences will run concurrently with the 30-year sentence. Under state parole rules, Swan will serve 50 percent of the sentence before he is eligible for parole.
Swan was convicted of crimes committed while he was director of Thunderhead Episcopal Church Camp near Lead between 2001 and 2003. Two girls reported that when they were at the camp, Swan shared a bed with them and sexually assaulted them.
Fitzgerald asked Johns to impose a 100-year sentence because a sex-offender evaluation completed by Rapid City psychologist Donald Janz indicated that Swan is a pedophile who is in deep denial. "There's no hope of rehabilitation for this pedophile," Fitzgerald said, calling Swan an unrepentant predator.
"He took something from both of these girls that they're never going to get back," Fitzgerald told Johns. Both victims were seated in the courtroom during the hearing but made no statements.
Matt Stephens, Swan's attorney, said that his client denies "the veracity of the charges" but understands and respects the jury's verdict. He asked Johns for a sentence that would give Swan an opportunity to someday contribute to society and serve as a role model for other American Indians.
Stephens said Swan's sentence "turns on whether the court has any residual doubt" about Swan's guilt. Stephens said Swan was acquitted in Pennington County but that the witnesses were better rehearsed by the time of the Lawrence County trial.
Swan was found not guilty in Rapid City in March on charges that he sexually assaulted one of the same victims between January 1999 and December 2002.
Johns said he did not intend to impose a sentence that would effectively set aside the jury's verdict. He said he believes Swan is well-liked, talented, loquacious and smart but that Swan's psychosexual evaluation indicated "a measured chronic interest in young children."
Swan will remain free on a $6,000 cash bond until Monday at noon, when he has to report to the Lawrence County sheriff to be transported to South Dakota State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls.
The maximum sentence for statutory rape and for sexual contact is 15 years in the penitentiary and a $15,000 fine. Swan could have been sentenced to 300 years in prison and a $300,000 fine. |
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