Florida Pastor And Two Church Officials Charged With Decades Of Child Sex Abuse After Raid During Services

March 13, 2022 Crime, Religion

First Coast News reports:

Worship services were interrupted by a police raid Wednesday night at the Jacksonville Assembly of the Body of Christ on Old Kings Road.

The raid was the result of a long-term investigation that started with a tip regarding possible sexual abuse in 2020. The investigation uncovered sexual and physical abuse of minors in the church that spanned over a period of over thirty years, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.

Pastor Paul Dyal was jailed on charges of capital sexual battery on a child under 12. Two other men associated with the church, Vernon Williamson and Jerome Teschendorf, were arrested in Oklahoma, both on charges of capital sexual battery.

Jacksonville’s NBC News affiliate reports:



The JSO said that through the course of the investigation, the police “have identified and spoken to numerous victims and witnesses.” As a result, the Sheriff’s Office said, police believe there are additional suspects. It asked that anyone who believes they might have information to share to come forward by calling JSO or submitting an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers of Northeast Florida.

The Sheriff’s Office believes there could be more than a dozen victims.  News4JAX went to the church property in Jacksonville and tried to speak with people there, but no one would comment. No one answered the phone either. Dyal appeared before a judge on the charge Thursday afternoon and was ordered to be held without bond. The judge noted that Dyal could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted.

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