Former Pastor Indicted On Child Porn Charges

DENVER -- Prosecutors said a former pastor has been indicted on child pornography charges.

Richard Howard Craft, 68, of Thornton, was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of distribution, receipt and possession of child pornography, prosecutors said.Craft previously served as interim pastor of Family of Christ Presbyterian Church of Greeley. The indictment alleges that Craft knowingly distributed and attempted to distribute child pornography between July 2007 and January 2008 as well as in December 2009.Prosecutors said Craft’s home in Thornton was searched in 2009 after an undercover FBI special agent in Philadelphia observed numerous files depicting child pornography.

The indictment said the files were being shared from Craft’s computer located at his home.

YUCCA VALLEY: Youth leader arrested on suspicion of committing lewd acts

A Yucca Valley man who serves as a youth pastor for a local church and is a former school teacher in Joshua Tree has been arrested on suspicion of lewd acts with young boys dating to the 1980s.

Caleb Douglas Hesse, 52, is scheduled to be arraigned Monday, Aug. 20 in San Bernardino County Superior Court on four counts of committing a lewd act on a child under age 14. He faces a maximum sentence of 45 years to life in state prison if he is convicted.

Hesse was booked into the Morongo Basin Jail. His bail was set at $2.5 million.

According to a San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department news release, Hesse had been a first grade teacher at the Friendly Hills Elementary School in the Morongo Unified School District from 1987 until recently, although the reason for his departure from that job was not disclosed.

Hesse has been a youth volunteer since the early 1980s with the Evangelical Free Church in Yucca Valley, the news release said. He was involved in “countless overnight outings that took place throughout California,” the release said. Investigators believe the majority of the victims were involved with the church youth group.

Church officials did not immediately respond to a phone call Saturday, Aug. 18 seeking comment and information about whether Hesse is still involved with the church.

“The crimes are believed to have occurred between the early 1980s and as recently as one week ago,” the sheriff’s news release said. “Some of the victims may now be 30 (to) 40 years old.”

The Sheriff’s Department is asking anyone who may be a victim or has information about the case to contact detectives at 909-387-3615.

Former scout leader sentenced in child porn case

WEST CHESTER – A former Boy Scout troop leader in West Bradford on probation for molesting a teenage boy has been sentenced to state prison for keeping a sizable cache of child pornography on a computer at his township home.

Vance P. Hein -- who court documents indicate served as a scoutmaster and youth leader at his church, the Marshallton congregation of the Church of the Latter Day Saints, in the 1990s – will spend 15 to 30 years behind bars before his release. As a defendant deemed a sexually violent predator by the state Sexual Offender’s Assessment Board, he will have to let his neighbors know his address when he is released from prison.

Hein, 60, who was under court supervision for indecently assaulting a 15-year-old boy in 1999 at the time of his arrest, had confessed to the probation officer handling his case that he had been regularly corresponding with young boys over the Internet, even though he was prohibited from doing so.

He told the officer he had sent pornographic stories to boys from ages 10 to 18, and that some of the stories dealt with torture. He said it was “easy” for him to tell the difference between a true minor and an adult posing as one when he communicated on-line.

When the officer, Tina Marinari of the Chester County Adult Probation Office sex crimes unit, alerted Chester County Detectives about her conversation with Hein, investigators seized a computer from his home. On it, they found 84 photos and eight videos involving child pornography. Hein admitted to having received photos from young boys, some of which depicted them having sex with other boys. They appeared to be under the age of 18.

Hein was arrested in September, two months after confessing his activities to Marinari. He entered a guilty plea to five counts of possession of child pornography in May, and was formally sentenced by Common Pleas Court Judge Howard F. Riley Jr. on Thursday, having agreed to the 15-to-30 year sentence earlier. At the hearing, Hein was represented by defense attorney Francis Miller of West Chester; the prosecutor who arranged the terms of the plea agreement was Deputy District Attorney Elizabeth Pitts.

As part of the sentencing proceeding, friends and family members of Hein submitted letters to Riley telling the judge what a positive influence he had had on the lives of young boys he came in contact with.

In one letter, former Octorara Area School Board president and one-time Parkesburg Borough Council member Ken Knickerbocker, who said he had known Hein for 15 years, said he had asked the head of their mutual church to appoint him as a youth counselor and scoutmaster in 1992.

“As scout master, Vance was a natural at mixing the appropriate level of fun with responsibilities and activities,” Knickerbocker wrote. His scouts have gone on to graduate from college and start careers and families, he said.

“If it were possible for them to be here today I am confident each would speak in glowing, positive terms of their scouting memories and the impact Mr. Hein had on their lives.”

Centerville church leader faces child sex abuse charges

CENTERVILLE — A Centerville man was charged Friday with sexually abusing two children, crimes enhanced because he was in a "position of trust" for the children.

Timothy William Bothell, 43, was arrested Thursday and is facing two first-degree felony counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child and four counts of lewdness involving a child, a class A misdemeanor.

The sex abuse charges are aggravated in nature because Bothell "holds a position of trust in relationship to the victims," said Centerville Assistant Police Chief Paul Child. Bothell was serving as a member of an LDS stake high council in Centerville at the time of his arrest, he said.

Police said Bothell, 43, last week was confronted by and admitted to his wife that he had inappropriate sexual contact with at least one child of a family friend. Bothell later contacted Child Protective Services, which then involved police.

The ongoing investigation has turned up two female victims, ages 13 and 11, who are both friends of the Bothell family, according to Child.

Both girls told police that Bothell exposed himself to them on several different occasions, specifically identifying four separate incidents between Dec. 1, 2011, and Aug. 9, according to charges filed in 2nd District Court. One victim reported seeing Bothell naked approximately 12 different times, although court documents state Bothell admitted to "accidentally" exposing himself eight times.

Bothell is accused of touching the 13-year-old girl while she was sleeping at his home at Christmastime last year and also made her touch him, Child said in a statement. He said the girl woke up as the abuse was occurring.

Bothell, who has three children, has worked for the Missionary Department of the LDS Church since 2004, holding a management position until last year, according to his LinkedIn profile. Church spokesman Scott Trotter said in a written statement that Bothell is no longer employed there.

"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has zero tolerance for abuse of any kind," Trotter said. "Those found guilty of these actions are subject to the demands of the law and also face church discipline. The welfare of victims is our utmost concern and church leaders will continue to offer counseling and other resources to help in the healing process."

Bothell has also worked as a faculty development coordinator for Brigham Young University and at FranklinCovey.

Trotter said Bothell's current and former church positions play no part in the case.

Bothell is being held in the Davis County Jail and is scheduled to appear in court Aug. 24.

Compton pastor arrested on suspicion of molesting 2 Rialto girls

Rialto police have arrested a Compton church pastor suspected of molesting two Rialto girls for several years, one of whom was 11 years old when the alleged sexual abuse began. 

Anthony Lavon Smith, 47, of Rialto was taken into custody at Carter High School about 11:30 a.m. Wednesday while he was picking up a family friend, police Capt. Randy DeAnda said.

"We do believe that there are other victims at his church, and we'll be contacting the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department detective bureau to let them know about our investigation," DeAnda said.

Smith has been a pastor at Jericho Baptist Assembly in Compton since April 2001, following in the footsteps of his father, Willie L. Smith, who also preached at the church, according to the church's website.

Police say one of the alleged victims, now 29 years old, was 17 when she was last molested. She is a relative of Smith who now lives in a different state, DeAnda said.

Police say the other alleged victim, now 17, was 11 when she was first molested.

Both lived in Rialto and were members of Smith's church at the time of the incidents, police said.

Rialto Unified School District officials said that none of the incidents occurred at Carter High School. But one of the alleged victims did attend a Rialto school.

"Rialto Police Department collaborated with one of our students and the parent to apprehend the suspect," said district spokeswoman Syeda Jafri.

Local pastor accused of sexual molestation

A local pastor finds himself on the wrong side of the law, accused of molesting area youngsters.
After obtaining a warrant, Shreveport Police arrested Andrea Lewis, Monday.

Lewis is facing charges on 3 counts of molestation of a juvenile.

Lewis is currently the pastor of Act on Faith Ministries in Shreveport.

Shreveport Police Corporal Marcus Hines tells KTBS that Lewis allegedly had sexual relations with three different underaged females spanning over several years.

Authorities are urging any additional victims to contact authorities as soon as possible.

Church Minister Arrested For Alleged Child Sex Abuse

JUNCTION CITY, Kan. (WIBW) -- A Junction City man has been arrested for alleged sex crimes involving children.

Jordan Young, 25, was taken into custody at the Junction City Police Department at 11:30 AM on Monday, August 13, 2012.

According to Junction City Police Chief Tim Brown, Young was arrested for Aggravated Indecent Liberties With a Child, Attempted Criminal Sodomy and Solicitation of a Child.

Officials say he is being held without bond in the Geary County Jail.

Chief Brown would not comment further on Young’s arrest, saying only that the investigation is ongoing.
Last week, Brown confirmed to WIBW that his department is investigating information they received about a local church.

Brown issued the following statement to 13 News: “We have received information concerning a church in Junction City that we are looking into.”

That is the only information Brown is releasing at this time. He is not yet revealing the specific name of the church but says Young's arrest stems from the church investigation.

Sources say the church in question is Faith Tabernacle Apostolic Church on Burke Drive in Junction City where Jordan Young is reportedly the minister in charge of the church's music.

Jordan Young is the son of former Faith Tabernacle pastor Edwin Young.

The church’s new pastor, Nathan Dudley, said he could not comment on any allegations or the police investigation, telling WIBW that he does not want to do anything to impede on the JCPD probe but that the church is fully cooperating with authorities. Dudley says he has only been the pastor for several days.

The police chief said Jordan Young will make his first court appearance Tuesday or Wednesday at the Geary County Courthouse.

WOODBURN — Woodburn police have arrested the pastor of St. Luke Parish on charges of sexually abusing a 12-year-old boy.

Father Angel Perez, ordained in 2002 as the first Mexican-American priest for the Archdiocese of Portland, was taken into custody early Monday shortly after police received reports. Accusations include first-degree sex abuse, using a child in a display of sexually explicit conduct, and furnishing alcohol to a minor.

Father Perez, 46, had been named pastor of St. Luke in 2008. He was born in Jalisco state, Mexico, and attended school in Mexico through college. He entered Mount Angel Seminary in 1996 and has served in Astoria, Oregon City, Corvallis, Grants Pass and Coos Bay. As a seminarian, he worked in a program that took U.S. youths to Mexico to learn about poverty and culture.

Pastor arrested recently worked in Saskatoon

Saskatoon police are advising residents that a 42-year-old man arrested in Ontario Thursday has recently lived and worked in Saskatoon.

Kris Allan Gowdy was arrested by the Durham Regional Police for luring a child via computer and attempted aggravated sexual assault. It is believed that he worked at a Saskatoon church.

If anyone has information regarding similar incidents, please contact the police at 975-8300 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Pastor Arrested On Child Sexual Assault Charges

FAIRFIELD (August 10, 2012)—Freestone County pastor Anthony Lynn Thibodeaux, 36, of Mexia, was in the Freestone County Jail Friday afternoon after his arrest earlier in the day on warrants charging sexual assault of a child and indecency with a child.

Thibodeaux, who is pastor of the Fairfield Missionary Baptist Church in Freestone County and who also works for the State of Texas, was arrested early Friday afternoon in neighboring Limestone County, Freestone County Sheriff Ralph Billings said.

The arrest stems from an investigation that started about three weeks ago of allegations involving inappropriate sexual relations with a 15-year-old girl, Billings said.

Mexia police assisted in the investigation, which was headed by Freestone County Deputy Clayton Aldrich.

Efrey Guzman, Mormon Church Leader, Accused In Penis-Biting Attack

Prosecutors in northern Utah filed charges Tuesday against Efrey Guzman, a Latter-Day Saints church leader accused of biting a man's penis after assaulting his mother and sister.

Guzman, 46, of Sandy, was charged in open court with "aggravated sexual assault, aggravated burglary, both first-degree felonies, and sexual abuse of a child and forcible sexual abuse, both second-degree felonies," Bob Scott, a spokesman for the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office, told The Huffington Post.

According to the arrest affidavit, Guzman went to the home of a 13-year-old girl on May 8. During his visit with the girl, who later described him to police as a "family friend," he assaulted her by attempting to kiss her and grab her buttocks. When the girl's 20-year-old brother entered the room he left, police said. The authorities were not immediately notified of the alleged assault.

On Aug. 2, Guzman returned to the teenager's home. When the girl's mom asked him to leave, he refused, police said.

"The defendant pushed his way into the residence and began to assault the mother," the arrest affidavit reads. "She yelled for help and tried to fight the defendant off. She said the defendant ripped her shirt exposing her breast."

Guzman was allegedly groping the woman when her son came into the room and witnessed what was occurring. It was when the young man attempted to intervene, police say, Guzman viciously assaulted him.

"While he tried to get the defendant off his mother, the defendant grabbed his penis through his boxer shorts and bit his penis causing severe damage that required surgery," the arrest affidavit reads.

The victims, who are identified only by initials in court documents, declined to speak with local media about the case.

Kent Kuhn, the victim's LDS Bishop, told ABC 4 News the family is traumatized.

"There is some medical things that may affect this man for a long period of time and emotionally these children are devastated," Kuhn said.

Ironically, Kuhn's wife, Gloria, told ABC 4 News that the mother had recently moved her family to the area in an attempt to shield them from crime.

"She thought it'd be safer here and this makes us really sad to think that something like that could happen here on our street," Gloria Kuhn said.

Guzman, who was an LDS branch president of a Latino congregation in Sandy, was booted from the congregation after the charges were filed.

Scott Trotter, a spokesman for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, issued a statement to The Salt Lake Tribune that said the church "has zero tolerance for abuse of any kind."

The statement added, "Mr. Guzman has been released from his church duties effective immediately and faces further church discipline following the legal process."

Guzman is being held in the Salt Lake County jail in lieu of $300,000 bond. Court records do not list an attorney for him. Guzman is scheduled to appear in court again on Friday.