Tag Archives: religion

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 …

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 …

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 …

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, …

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, …

Wausau’s ABC affiliate reports: A 52-year-old former Plover youth pastor was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Tuesday after previously pleading guilty to two counts of repeated acts of sexual assault. Jordan Huffman, 52, of Antigo will also have 20 years of extended supervision after serving his sentence. The charges stem from an assault in 2017 and lasted until …

Memphis’s NBC affiliate reports: A former Mid-South church leader and Christian school administrator who was indicted for sex crimes against a minor has been sentenced to six years in prison. John Brownlow faced eight charges related to the alleged grooming of a private school student during the pandemic. An Action News 5 Investigation revealed Brownlow was charged with persuading the …

Minnesota Public Radio reports: A former youth pastor at a Duluth church was jailed Tuesday and charged with sexually abusing five teenage girls. St. Louis County prosecutors said that Jackson M. Gatlin, 35, assaulted the teens between 2007 and 2010 while he worked at Vineyard Church. Gatlin is the son of former pastors Michael and Brenda Gatlin. The couple resigned …

The Washington Post reports: The Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore filed for bankruptcy protection Friday, less than two days before a new state law takes effect allowing victims of child sexual abuse to sue institutions, no matter how long ago the abuse took place. Federal bankruptcy law halts all lawsuits against an entity that files for bankruptcy. Instead, the legal action …

Long Island’s Newsday reports: A Brentwood pastor was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Thursday and in charged in federal court with the sexual exploitation of a minor after he allegedly admitted coercing a teenage boy into taking and sending graphic photographs he then shared with others, court records show. Jose Saez Jr., the 28-year-old pastor of Iglesia Cristiana …

WKHY radio reports: An Iredell County pastor has been sentenced to four years in prison after entering a guilty plea on child pornography charges. 66-year-old Tony Ernest Bunton of Statesville, pleaded guilty Monday (September 25) in Iredell County Superior Court to two counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor. By pleading guilty, Bunton admitted that he distributed, transported, exhibited, …

The Times Of Israel reports: Two months after proclaiming that July would henceforth be known locally as “American Christian Heritage Month,” the board of supervisors in El Dorado County, California has reversed course. The county’s elected governing body unanimously rescinded the proclamation Tuesday following backlash from local Jews, the American Civil Liberties Union, and others who said it inappropriately advanced …

Jacksonville’s NBC affiliate reports: Early last month, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said it was made aware of allegations of misconduct by a church youth group leader, Gregory Norton. Norton, 58, was accused of sexually molesting a teen that he met through functions at Oak Hill Church: Church of the Nazarene, according to JSO. The incident reportedly happened years earlier at …

Quincy’s NBC affiliate reports: A Quincy man who was a youth leader at Hope Lutheran Church in Quincy pleaded guilty Tuesday to two counts of criminal sexual abuse of a victim between 13 and 18 years old. The charges are Class 2 felonies. Court records show that 22-year-old Isaiah Mikkelson pleaded guilty to two of the seven total charges against …

Charlotte’s ABC affiliate reports: A former church youth leader in South Carolina who was arrested last year for multiple sex crimes against children has been arrested again after another victim spoke out to investigators. William Pinckney Carpenter III was arrested on Monday for criminal sexual conduct with a minor. Last year, Carpenter was arrested for multiple counts of assault with …

Jackson’s NBC affiliate reports: A former longtime music teacher and preacher from Rankin County has been convicted of a sex crime. District Attorney Bubba Bramlett announced Thursday that Samuel Lamar Taylor, 52, was convicted of one count of sexual battery and one count of gratification of lust. On August 23, 2022, the Richland Police Department received a call from Richland …

Coffeyville’s KGGS reports: William Keith Dodd, the former pastor of Lewark Church of God, has been charged with two counts of rape of a minor. His first appearance in Montgomery County Court was Friday. Court documents say Dodd allegedly raped a 12 or 13 year old two times between January 1st and September 11th of this year. He was arrested …

Murfreesboro’s WGNS reports: An evangelist who calls the Blackman area home is facing a slew of charges that revolve around the rape of a child. Benjamin Garlick was taken into custody under a sealed indictment that was handed down by a Rutherford County Grand Jury. Prior to Garlick’s arrest, he led church services in Texas, Tennessee, Florida, Alabama and Arkansas, …

The Everett Herald reports: A former youth pastor convicted of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl at his Arlington church was sentenced Tuesday to 14 months in prison. Following a brief bench trial in April, a judge found Kendal Kippen, 27, guilty of third-degree rape of a child Tuesday. In 2017 and 2018, the Stanwood man worked at Jake’s House Church, …

From the Justice Department: Jason R. Moore, 43, of Milton, Florida, was sentenced to sixty years in federal prison after previously pleading guilty to two counts of “Illicit Sexual Conduct in Foreign Places.” The sentence was announced by Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. Moore engaged in “Illicit Sexual Conduct in Foreign Places” from …