Tag Archives: religion

First, a reminder from my April 2023 report: It took a Webster County jury just under two and a half hours late Friday afternoon to convict a former Christian missionary of sexual abuse. Jordan Dee Andrew Webb, 30, of Fort Dodge, was found guilty of one count of second-degree sexual abuse with persons under the age of 12, a Class …

Staten Island Advance reports: A former Staten Island priest already accused in a lawsuit of sexually abusing a minor in New York pleaded no contest to several charges in Pennsylvania Friday in connection with abuse allegations more than a decade ago. Rev. James Garisto, 74, pleaded no contest to charges of corruption of a minor and indecent assault after a …

The Bellingham Herald reports: A Blaine mother of six who is a former teacher and currently a candidate for the local School Board was arrested Friday, June 2, and charged with three counts of child rape, four counts of child sexual assault and drug possession. Tana Perkins Reneau, 51, was arrested by Whatcom County sheriff’s deputies after detectives for the …

The Modesto Bee reports: A Modesto man who stepped down from his role as a church youth leader a month before his arrest has pleaded guilty to molesting a family member. Michael Sasser, 41, was arrested in April on suspicion of three counts of child molestation for acts that occurred during a period of months in 2022. On Wednesday, he …

Kansas City’s Fox affiliate reports: A former Overland Park private school teacher learned his fate after pleading guilty to more than two dozen crimes against children. As part of a plea deal, a Johnson County judge sentenced Joseph Heidesch to more than five years in prison. He cannot request probation. In December, Joseph Heidesch pleaded guilty to one felony count …

Seattle’s NBC affiliate reports: A Sammamish planning commissioner who made anti-LGBTQ+ remarks during a meeting last week has resigned. Sammamish Mayor Kali Clark accepted Wassim Fayed’s resignation immediately Monday. The city strongly condemned Fayed’s comments, but activists say there needs to be more accountability. During a June 1 meeting on the first day of Pride Month, Fayed spoke to his …

Washington DC’s CBS affiliate reports: A former Loudoun County Catholic priest has been sentenced to eight years in prison for the sexual abuse of a 14-year-old child. Police say the abuse occurred in 1985 when Scott Asalone, now 66, was 29 and the victim was 14. In addition to his sentence, Asalone is required to register as a sex offender …

Toledo’s ABC affiliate reports: A former Monroe pastor was sentenced Monday after he was convicted of sex crimes. Judge Bruce Winters of Ottawa County sentenced Robert Auxter to six years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of Gross Sexual Imposition, which are third-degree felonies, in April. Auxter is required to register as a tier 2 sex offender. Court …

The Roys Report reports: Daniel Savala, who’s accused of sexually abusing multiple men in the Assemblies of God’s Chi Alpha Campus Ministries, has been arrested in Houston on sex abuse charges involving minors. On Friday morning, Savala, 67, was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Lone Star Fugitive Task Force at his residence in downtown Houston and booked at the Fort …

From the Justice Department: Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on June 2, 2023, a criminal complaint was issued charging Cory J. Herthel (age: 40) of Green Bay, Wisconsin, with attempted production of child pornography and the transfer of obscene material to a Venezuelan child. The attempted production of child pornography charge …

Click Orlando reports: A Florida woman was arrested on Thursday after her child died after being left in a hot car earlier this week, according to the Palm Bay Police Department. Police said that on May 28, first responders arrived at Mount of Olives Evangelical Church after receiving reports about an unresponsive 11-month-old girl. Responders discovered that the girl had …

From the Justice Department: A Canadian pastor was sentenced yesterday to 10 years in prison for using the internet to entice of a 15-year-old girl to engage in illegal sexual activity, United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison announced. Timothy Milley, 69, of suburban Toronto, Canada, was sentenced by United States District Judge Judith E. Levy. In October 2022, Milley was …

Harrisburg’s Fox affiliate reports: An Ephrata man is charged with possessing child pornography—and it’s not his first offense. Brandon S. Dasilva, 29, of Ephrata, was also charged in February 2021. Police say they found two images and one video of child pornography on Dasilva’s phone on March 1 after receiving a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited …

The Orlando Sentinel reports: An Osceola County deputy was arrested after using law enforcement databases to help an Okeechobee County coach evade an arrest for abusing a minor, the Osceola County Sheriff announced Thursday. Arturo Domínguez, 31, is facing felony charges of unauthorized access to a computer, official misconduct, disclosure of confidential law enforcement information and accessory after the fact …

Spartanburg’s CBS affiliate reports: A now-former Upstate youth pastor is accused of videoing a woman while she was showering in Greenwood County. Once deputies arrived on the scene, they spoke with the victim who said while she was taking a shower at her mother’s house, she saw a light outside the bathroom window. She said she got out of the …

Deadline reports: The Los Angeles Dodgers have announced what’s termed a “relaunch” of the team’s “Christian Faith and Family Day” event. News of the resurrected faith event comes shortly after the team enmeshed itself in a controversy over its Pride Night celebration. The team invited – then disinvited – then reinvited the controversial Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence group to take …

The Roys Report reports: The longtime campus pastor of a Christian college ministry at Baylor University has been arrested and charged with sexual abuse of two boys. The crimes allegedly involved convicted sex offender Daniel Savala, who’s at the center of a widening sex scandal involving Chi Alpha Campus Ministries. On Tuesday, authorities in Waco, Texas, arrested Christopher “Chris” Hundl, …

The Hill reports: Only half of Americans now say they are sure God exists. That finding, from the closely watched General Social Survey, stands out among several nuggets of new data about religion in America. Not quite 50 percent of Americans say they have no doubt about the existence of God, according to the 2022 survey, released Wednesday by NORC, …

Manchester’s ABC affiliate reports: A former New Hampshire minister is accused of strangulation and sexual assault and is being investigated for similar charges in Florida. Ossipee police said at the time of the allegations, Kevin Straughan, 67, was the head minister of Agape Ministries Church in Ossipee and Moultonborough. Straughan has been indicted on several charges, including four counts of …

Oregon Live reports: A Multnomah County jury on Friday found a pastor of a religious group guilty of sexually abusing a former member when she was a child – the third time a jury has reached a verdict against Michael Sperou. Though he was found guilty of sexually abusing one victim, six other women came forward years ago with their …