Tag Archives: Youth Pastor

The New Jersey Advance reports: A Jersey City pastor who resigned in June has been charged with sexually assaulting two children while he was working as a youth pastor at an embattled Colorado church over two decades ago. Robert Anthony “Tony” Langston, 60, who served as lead pastor at Tapestry Church in Jersey City, is accused of assaulting two members …

Houston’s ABC affiliate reports: “Hundreds” of images of child pornography were found on a computer that allegedly belonged to a youth church volunteer who has since been arrested, Harris County Precinct 1 Constable’s Office said. Kevin Hartgrove, 45, was taken into custody at his home on Wednesday and charged with two felony counts of possession of child pornography, which carries …

Baltimore News Radio reports: There could be more victims after a former youth pastor at the Central Christian Church along Rossville Boulevard has been charged with 24 sex abuse counts for abusing six boys in Baltimore County. Court papers say one victim told police that 52-year-old Thomas Pinkerton was a “father figure” to him “in a spiritual way,” meeting him …

The Independent reports: A 34-year-old youth pastor in Virginia is facing federal charges over allegations he posed as a teenage boy to exchange nude photos and videos with young girls, telling one of them last month that it was “time for her to see her first d**k,” according to an FBI probable cause affidavit. Throughout the conversation, Jacob Ryan Barnett …

Richmond’s ABC affiliate reports: After pleading guilty to three charges of child sex crimes, a former Richmond County youth counselor has been sentenced to five years in prison. In a hearing back in March, David Lawrence Schneider pleaded guilty to one charge of aggravated sexual battery and two charges of taking indecent liberties with a child by a person in …

The Osceola Gazette reports: A man the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office says served as a youth pastor at a Kissimmee church, the eldest son of its lead pastor, is charged with sharing and storing child sexual abuse material. Ezequiel Rodriguez, 22, of St. Cloud was charged Thursday with ten second-degree felony counts of possession of photos or videos of sexual …

Penn Live reports: A Cumberland County man accused of sexually molesting a 9-year-old girl in a McDonalds will spend less than a year in prison, per a sentence handed down Tuesday afternoon. A judge sentenced Roy Andrews, 77, to four months to a year in prison for touching a 9-year-old girl’s genitals in April 2024 while they sat in a …

Miami’s ABC affiliate reports: A former youth pastor convicted of “placing a hidden camera in the girls’ bathroom” at a Christian camp in Oregon is now facing new disturbing charges ― this time in South Florida, according to a federal criminal complaint. Authorities said they nabbed Jacob Melvin Hart, 45, of San Juan Capistrano, California, with child sexual abuse videos …

Jackson, Tennessee’s ABC affiliate reports: In June 2024, then 39-year-old Ryan McElrath, a former youth pastor at Fellowship Bible Church in Jackson, was booked into the Madison County jail on charges involving inappropriate sexual conduct with a minor. In February 2025, McElrath pled guilty to “use of a facility and means of interstate commerce to persuade, induce, entice a minor …

Wausau’s CBS affiliate reports: A former Wisconsin Rapids youth pastor will spend 10 years in prison and 5 years on extended supervision for sexually assaulting a child while working as a youth pastor in 2003. James Lane, 53, pleaded guilty to the charge in April and was convicted as a result. Attorney General Josh Kaul and Wood County District Attorney …

Wichita Falls’ NBC affiliate reports: According to DPS Sgt. Juan Gutierrez, Texas Rangers served a warrant and arrested 31-year-old Nathan Patrick Roach Friday, May 30, 2025, for child grooming, a third-degree felony. He was then booked into the Archer County jail. According to a release, Rangers were called on March 18th to assist the Holliday Police Department with the allegation …

The Independent reports: A Florida youth pastor faces over 20 charges of sexual abuse of foster children in his care, including a six-year-old girl who he allegedly abused “for years.” Daniel R. Lamppin also used his role as an employee at a local branch of Chick-fil-A to gain access to youngsters, according to the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office. Lamppin, 40, …

From the Justice Department: A former youth pastor was sentenced today for Attempted Coercion and Enticement of a Minor and Possession of Child Pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. U.S. District Judge John F. Heil, III, sentenced Chaz Chinsethagid, 34, of Jenks, to serve 168 months imprisonment, followed by lifetime supervised release. Upon his release, Chinsethagid will also be required …

The Santa Barbara Independent reports: Sheriff’s detectives arrested a Goleta man for several alleged felony child sex crimes on Friday, May 9. The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office is now “reaching out to the public to identify additional survivors and provide safety information for parents monitoring children’s social media,” it said in a statement on Monday. Detectives identified Shaun Donald …

Goldsboro, North Carolina’s CBS affiliate reports: A children’s ministry pastor at a Raleigh church was arrested Tuesday following an investigation into the distribution of child sexual abuse material in Wake Forest, police said. According to the Wake Forest Police Department, detectives with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force executed a search warrant at a home on Thornrose Way. The …

The Yakima Herald-Republic reports: Prosecutors charged an Outlook youth pastor with raping a teenage girl he knew. In addition to five charges each of second-degree rape and third-degree child molestation, Benjamin Felix Guerra, 32, was also charged with three counts of third-degree child rape and a single count of communicating with a minor for immoral purposes, according to a six-page …

Law & Crime reports: A youth pastor in Kansas will spend nearly three decades behind bars for stabbing his wife and kids because the family was going to be evicted from their home due to his piling debt. District Judge Jason B. Billam sentenced 42-year-old Matthew Lee Richards on Wednesday to 188 months in prison for one count of attempted …

Denver’s Fox affiliate reports: A pastor employed by Word Alive Church was arrested Tuesday after reported incidents of sexual assault on juveniles while he was a youth pastor there. Joshua Lucero, 28, was charged with one count of sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust by the 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. The Thornton Police …

Jefferson City’s KJLU reports: A former church youth ministry volunteer in Phelps County pleaded guilty in federal court to a child pornography offense. Bradley Colvin, 52, of Rolla, was arrested last March following a Missouri State Highway Patrol investigation into online child pornography. Colvin was identified as a suspect after he shared child pornography online with a person who was …

Atlanta First News reports: A youth pastor at an Alpharetta church was arrested Wednesday on several child pornography charges. Daniel Menelaou was charged with six counts of possession or control of any material depicting a minor in sexually explicit conduct. The charges stem from several sexually explicit videos involving children being shared through a messaging app, arrest warrants state. Arrest …