Tag Archives: religion

Florida Prison Chaplain Arrested In Child Sex Sting

Tampa’s NBC affiliate reports: A Department of Corrections chaplain was arrested on multiple child sex charges, according to the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO). Robert William Austin, 58, of Sanderson, was allegedly sending explicit messages to a “14-year-old girl,” who happened to be an undercover detective, according to the CCSO. Austin allegedly knew of the “juvenile’s” age but continued to …

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PA Catholic Priest Pleads Guilty To Child Sex Charges

The National Catholic Reporter reports: Fr. Armand D. Garcia appeared in a Philadelphia courtroom Oct. 23 to plead guilty to corruption of a minor and unlawful contact with a minor. He will be sentenced in January 2024. The abuse took place while Garcia was a parochial vicar at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Philadelphia from 2014-2017. The priest had …

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Baptist Pastor Gets Three Years On Grooming Charges

Springfield’s CW affiliate reports: A former pastor from McLeansboro has been sentenced to prison for grooming charges. On October 19, 28-year-old Garrett S. Biggerstaff was sentenced to a maximum three years in prison with the Illinois Department of Corrections for one count of grooming. Biggerstaff was also fined $10,000 and must make restitution to the victims in his case. The …

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Alabama Youth Pastor Arrested On Child Sex Charge

The Decatur Daily reports: A former member of Grace River Community Church in Decatur said Tuesday that he left the church after one of its leaders was arrested and charged with electronic solicitation of a child and violating the Sex Offenders Registration and Community Notification Act. “It seems to me that a background check would’ve caught this,” said Josh Harris, …

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Colorado Youth Pastor Guilty On Grooming Charges

Colorado Springs’ CBS affiliate reports: A former youth pastor is now staring down prison time after he was found guilty of sexually exploiting a child. As Fountain police reported last year, Jeffrey Williams was arrested in November of last year for allegedly sending sexually explicit material to one of the kids who attended his youth group. He was booked into …

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Kentucky Pastor Arrested On Child Sex Charges

Cincinnati’s NBC affiliate reports: A pastor from Covington has been arrested and accused of sexually abusing a child at a church, according to Covington police. The investigation began when police received a report of sexual abuse from a child. An investigation revealed the abuse allegedly took place at the Ministerio Jesus Liberta Church in Covington late last month. During the …

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MS “Media Minister” Arrested On Child Porn Charges

The Mississippi Sun-Herald reports: A computer software developer and “Media Ministry” member at a Mississippi Coast church faces federal charges for distributing and possessing child pornography, court papers say. Cameron “Cam” Cotrill, 66, of Vancleave, is jailed without bond pending trial in January. Federal authorities allege he had accessed 9,900 sexually explicit images of children engaged in sex acts on …

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Megachurch Pastor Must Pay $2.4M Herpes Settlement

Click2Houston reports: A prominent Houston pastor has been ordered to pay $2.45 million to a woman that a jury found he gave herpes to. After a three-day trial and six and a half hours of deliberation, the jury unanimously found Rev. Ralph D. West II liable. “You can’t fix it, she’s got it for the rest of her life,” said …

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IL Child Stabbed To Death In Anti-Muslim Hate Crime

Chicago’s ABC affiliate reports: The 6-year-old suburban boy stabbed to death in an apparent hate crime over the weekend will be laid to rest Monday, in Muslim tradition. Joseph Czuba stabbed Wadea Al-Fayoume and his mother in unincorporated Plainfield Saturday morning because they are Muslim, the Will County Sheriff’s Office said on Sunday. Late Sunday, the Chicago FBI Field Office, …

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Pennsylvania Priest Arrested On 31 Child Porn Counts

The Johnstown Tribune-Democrat reports: A priest who was placed on leave by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown in 2017 due to a claim of abusing a minor being made against him was arrested on child pornography charges earlier this week. The Rev. Anthony Petracca Jr., 67, from Allegheny Township, Blair County, faces 31 felony counts of possession of child …

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Baptist Pastor Gets 10-23 Years For Making Child Porn

Manchester’s ABC affiliate reports: The former pastor of a Nashua church is on his way to prison after pleading guilty Thursday to the manufacture and possession of child sex abuse images. Stephen Bates, 48, pleaded guilty to one count of the manufacture of child sex abuse images and 10 counts of possession of such images. Bates was pastor at the …

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Oregon Pastor Arrested On Multiple Child Sex Charges

The Beaverton Valley Times reports: A Beaverton pastor was jailed last week after being accused of inappropriately touching two young girls who were members of his congregation. A Washington County grand jury indicted Christopher Michael Pruitt, 39, of Beaverton on six counts of first-degree sexual abuse and two counts of third-degree sexual abuse Wednesday, Oct. 11. Pruitt allegedly touched two …

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Four TN Pastors Indicted In COVID Relief Fraud Scheme

Memphis’s Fox affiliate reports: Four Mid-South pastors, including three from Memphis, and several business owners were indicted Tuesday in alleged schemes to steal thousands of dollars in COVID-19 relief money, officials said. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of Tennessee, they collectively defrauded more than $950,000 from federal programs, including the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL), …

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LDS Nursery Worker Arrested On Child Porn Charges

Utah’s Cache Valley Daily reports: A 46-year-old Lewiston man has been arrested for downloading child pornography over the internet for years, according to law enforcement. Kent Daniel Prestwich was booked Tuesday, Oct. 10, into the Cache County Jail after state agents served a warrant to his home. According to arrest documents, Prestwich allegedly told investigators he had been viewing child …

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Baptist School’s Teacher Arrested On Child Sex Charges

The Indianapolis Star reports: A former English teacher and volleyball coach at Fishers Christian Academy was arrested on Friday and is accused of sexual misconduct with a student, according to court records. Stephen Ayon, 34, is facing three counts of sexual misconduct with a minor, three counts of child seduction and one count of dissemination of matter harmful to minors. …

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Philippine Drag Queen Arrested After Dressing As Jesus

CNN reports: A drag queen who dressed as Jesus Christ and performed a rock rendition of The Lord’s Prayer has been arrested in the Philippines under the country’s obscenity laws, sparking a fierce debate about free speech and protections for members of the LGBTQ community. Amadeus Fernando Pagente, 33, whose drag name is Pura Luka Vega and who uses the …

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FL Sunday School Teacher Guilty Of Child Porn Charges

West Palm Beach’s CBS affiliate reports: Michael Dolce, an attorney from West Palm Beach who fought for child sexual abuse victims, pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court to possession of child pornography. Prosecutors say when he was arrested in March, he had nearly 1,997 images and five videos of child sexual abuse materials on his laptop. He faces a possible …

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Texas Baptist Pastor Arrested On Child Rape Charges

Click2Houston reports: A Houston-area pastor is facing serious charges after being accused of raping a child and impregnating her, court documents stated. According to an arrest warrant, the rape started when the victim was 7 years old and lasted into her late teen years, happening more than 600 times. With Robert L. Carter now charged with a felony, the alleged …

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AP Does Deep Dive Into Nonreligious Americans

The Associated Press reports: In U.S. religion today, “the most important story without a shadow of a doubt is the unbelievable rise in the share of Americans who are nonreligious,” said Ryan Burge, a political science professor at Eastern Illinois University and author of “The Nones,” a book on the phenomenon. The nones account for a large portion of Americans, …

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Ohio Youth Pastor Indicted On Child Sex Charges

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports: An arrest warrant has been issued for a youth pastor after he was indicted on more than a dozen charges of sex crimes involving minors. Jairo Sanchez, 38, is wanted by the Butler County Sheriff’s Office, according to a report from law enforcement. The youth pastor was indicted on charges of gross sexual imposition, sexual imposition, …

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