NY Pastor Arrested For 11-Year-Old Murder

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WPIX) - A Buffalo pastor has been arrested in the case of the shooting death of a teenager that occurred over 11 years ago, officials announced Tuesday.

Detectives arrested Jose G. Figueroa, 31, and charged him with 2nd degree murder after he confessed to the killing of 17-year-old Alex Martinez.

Authorities said Figueroa, along with several individuals, broke down the rear door of Martinez's residence around 12:30 a.m. on Jan. 29, 1998. Then, without saying a word, Figueroa allegedly fired his gun and lodged a bullet into the victim's head.

During the time of the shooting, the Homicide Bureau Chief Joseph Riga said it appeared that Martinez had been targeted. He said the perpetrators entered Martinez's home, shot him and then left through the same door they broke through in.

Figueroa, who is a pastor and a full-time cleaner, was tracked down by homicide detectives after they received his name from an anonymous tipster a few weeks ago.

Investigators contacted Figueroa Friday and he later agreed to go to Police Headquarter to be questioned on Monday. He told authorities he had become a pastor since the shooting, but did not specify a church.

The motive for the shooting - which was originally thought to be drug related - remains under investigation.

Aurora pastor accused of child sex assault

AURORA, Colo. - The pastor of an Aurora church was behind bars Tuesday evening, charged with sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust.

The Rev. Isaac Aryee was arrested on Oct. 26th at his church, Praise Chapel International Ministries, on E. Mississippi Ave.

The case has been referred to the Denver District Attorney's Office which says the case file is currently under seal. However, a D.A.'s office spokesperson confirms that the victim in the case in a 15-year-old girl whom Aryee met through the church.

Prosecutors believe it was an ongoing sexual affair.

Rev. Aryee and his wife moved to Colorado from Ghana in West Africa in 2002, according to the church's official Web site.

A background check shows Aryee was also arrested by Denver Police in 2002 for soliciting a prostitute.

Rev. Aryee and his wife moved to Colorado from Ghana in West Africa in 2002, according to the church's official Web site.

Church youth leader arrested in sex scandal

Estero - A sex scandal shocks a local Catholic Church.

A youth minister has been arrested after having a sexual relationship with a teenage girl in his ministry.

24 year-old Brendan McConnell was arrested Monday.

His alleged victim is a teenage girl under the age of 16.

The two met while McConnell was a volunteer in the Life Teen Program here at Our Lady of Light Catholic Church.

The Lee County Sheriff's Office is not releasing the exact age of the girl, but we do know she is between 12 to 15 year's old.

McConnell's arrest report states the victim's mother found 23 pages of instant messages between McConnell and the victim.

The messages were regarding sexual acts the two performed on each other.

In the report, the victim admits she and McConnell knew what they were doing was wrong, but still did it anyway.

She also told police it all happened at McConnell's parents house.

According to the arrest report, McConnell met the teen victim about 8 years ago and has been her core leader for the youth ministry.

Our Lady of Light administrators forwarded me to the Diocese of Venice.

A spokeswoman at the Diocese says McConnell was immediately removed from all volunteer duty at the church.

In a statement the spokeswoman also says "as a volunteer around children, and vulnerable adults, Mr. McConnell underwent a mandatory criminal background check...and he was cleared by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the FBI."

The background check was done before McConnell was arrested for loitering and prowling last year.

The Diocese of Venice says they are fully cooperating with the authorities.

We went to McConnell's house Tuesday, but no one answered the door.

Local Preacher Arrested on Sex Crimes with a Minor

A Dothan preacher and volunteer chaplain with the Houston County Sheriff's Office faces charges of having sexual contact with a 15-year-old girl.

The news comes as a shock to the sheriff.

Authorities say a late evening phone call and a confession led to the arrest of 53-year-old Curtis Grant.
“Curtis Grant is a pastor of Open Door Baptist Church here in Dothan and a volunteer chaplain for the Houston County Sheriff's and a former volunteer chaplain for the Dothan Police Dept.” said Houston County Sheriff Andy Hughes.

Friday, the Houston County Sheriff's office charged Pastor Curtis Grant with one count of second degree rape, five counts of sodomy and five counts of enticing a child for immoral purposes.

“Grant actually called me at home last night and confessed to me what he had done,” said Sheriff Hughes.
Shortly after that phone call, Sheriff Hughes had grant questioned and arrested.

“He did assist us in making death notifications he ministered to our staff here at the sheriff's office,”
Sheriff Andy Hughes says he was blindsided by the news.

“I was very angered very saddened by this news when you've got a person whose in a position of public trust in two different arenas actually in the clergy and as a volunteer with the sheriff's office here,”

Sheriff Hughes says the sexual contact between the 15-year-old victim and Pastor Grant was consensual but under Alabama law a minor must be 16 before having consensual sex with an adult.

“If she was 16 it still could have been a crime it would have been contributing to the delinquency of a minor and that would have been something the parents would have followed up on and been able to press charges,”
Sheriff Hughes says he doesn't care who you are, if you're breaking the law, your days are numbered.

“I don't care if you're an employee of the sheriff's office or what if you commit a crime we're going investigate it we're going to prosecute you and we're going to put you in jail,”

Grant is being held in the Houston County Jail on a $65,000 bond.

Leland pastor facing child sex charges

A 46-year-old pastor from Leland has been charged with felony sex crimes against a child, officials said.

Brunswick County Sheriff's Office deputies arrested James T. Johnson of Leland on Tuesday, according to a detective with the office. Johnson is the pastor of The Olive Branch church on Mt. Misery Road in Leland.
The detective declined to further discuss the case. Johnson faces three counts of indecent liberties with a child, two counts of first-degree sex offense with a child and one count of attempted first-degree rape of a child, according to the sheriff's office.

Johnson was taken to the Brunswick County jail and held on a $250,000 secured bond.

On Wednesday night about 20 cars were parked outside the church – a white building with a temporary red-and-white-striped canopy out front.

Bobby McKnight, The Olive Branch's assistant pastor, said those inside were holding a prayer meeting in support of Johnson and his family.

Much of the church's congregation has known Johnson faced an allegation of sexual misconduct since it surfaced four months ago, McKnight said. But they didn't think anything was going to come of it and were surprised when criminal charges were filed this week.

McKnight said he didn't know the details of the allegation, but that he doesn't think it involves anyone at the church. If sheriff's deputies had come to the church they would have found people who defended Johnson, McKnight said, but they have not interviewed people at the church.

Johnson founded The Olive Branch church, which moved into its current facility two years ago, McKnight said. He also said Johnson helps out in the community, especially through the church's food pantry and occasional yard-sale-style giveaways.

“If he's in the wrong, then he's in the wrong,” McKnight said. “We're not hiding anything. But nobody here believes it.”

Pastor going back to prison

A DeKalb County preacher charged with the sexual abuse of a boy in his congregation is on his way to prison.

Billy Masters, 67 and reportedly a preacher at Harvest Baptist Church near Kilpatrick, was arrested in May and charged with sexual abuse of a child under the age of 12, apparently a member of his congregation.

At the time of his most recent arrest, Masters was on probation after having served time on a 2001 conviction for the sodomy of three males of similar age.

Deputy District Attorney Bob Johnston said Tuesday that, as part of a plea deal, the most recent charge against Masters would be dropped, but his probation on the earlier conviction revoked. This means Masters must now return to prison to serve out the rest of the time on the earlier sentence, about 15 years.

A grand jury was set to hear the more recent case against Masters later this month, but in the meantime the DA’s office had petitioned for revocation of the earlier probation, Johnston said.

Johnston said the family of Masters’ most recent victim, as well as Masters himself, agreed.

“We had two overall goals in mind,” Johnston said. “They were sending Masters back to prison and preventing a situation where this child would be forced to get on the stand and testify.”

He said, under Alabama law, Masters would not be eligible for parole until at least 85 percent of his sentence is served, or about 12 years. Johnston said the DA’s office would oppose any move for early release based on factors such as age or health.

“I feel that justice was served,” Johnston said. “This judgment was made in concert with Investigator Mary Waters, who worked this case, and the victim’s family. I’m pleased that we were able to put Masters back in prison without this child having to go on the stand.”

Masters has been held without bond at the DeKalb County Jail since his arrest in May.

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Former Waco Area-Pastor Sentenced In Child Sexual Abuse Case

WACO (November 2, 2009)--William Frank Brown, 45, the former pastor of the First Baptist Church of Bellmead, was sentenced to 50 years in prison Monday after he pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated sexual assault in a series of child sexual abuse incidents.

Brown wept as he was sentenced to 50 years on each, count,

 

The sentences will be served concurrently, which means he would be eligible for parole in 25 years.
Brown was indicted in June on four counts of indecency with a child by contact and four counts of aggravated sexual assault.

Brown was arrested in April, police said, after his victim told a school counselor about the sexual abuse.
At least one of the assaults occurred in Robinson and in Harris Creek, in Waco.

Brown resigned from the church before the investigation against him became public.

He turned himself in after learning a warrant had been issued for his arrest, police said.

Former Ala. pastor charged with sex abuse of boys

ANDALUSIA, Ala. (AP) - Prosecutors plan to seek multiple life sentences if they get a conviction against a former Andalusia pastor accused of sexual abuse and torture of young boys on camping trips.

Covington County deputies arrested 54-year-old Ralph Lee Aaron on Wednesday on 152 counts of sodomy, sexual abuse, sexual torture and possession of obscene matter involving children. Aaron was fired as pastor of Grace Christian Fellowhip Church after he was arrested and held on $24.2 million bond.

His attorney, Al Smith of Andalusia, did not immediately return a phone message Thursday.

Most of the counts involved possession of obsence material. District Attorney Greg Gambril said there were three counts each of sodomy and sexual torture, which he said involved a sex toy.

Church youth leader charged.

A Kansas City, Kan., church youth leader who has served prison time for molesting children was charged Tuesday with soliciting a child who attends his church
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Michael Joy, 40, faces one count of aggravated indecent solicitation of a child. He was being held Tuesday on $150,000 bond. It was unclear whether he had a lawyer.

Joy, one of five youth leaders for Stony Point Baptist Church, was convicted of eight counts of indecent liberties with a child in the late 1980s, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections Web site. He spent more than eight years in prison and was released on parole in 2000. Joy was discharged from parole in 2003, according to the Web site.

Stony Point Baptist Church pastor Thomas R. Hamilton said Tuesday that Joy was arrested Friday after a mother called Hamilton the day before alleging that Joy had inappropriate contact with her child. The family attends the church, but the alleged contact was not on church grounds
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Hamilton notified police, who then took Joy into custody at the church. Hamilton said other allegations against Joy could surface. He said Joy has been a youth leader for the independent congregation of 70 to 120 members since 2001.

“I think this might be the tip of the iceberg,” Hamilton said in his church office Tuesday.
Hamilton, who joined the congregation as pastor in 2005, said Joy asked to meet with him in 2005 and tearfully told him he had been convicted of having sex with a teenage girl when he was 18 and that he had spent time in prison for that offense.

After that meeting, Hamilton conducted a Web-based sex offender search and found nothing matching Joy’s name or address.

“He was invisible,” Hamilton said.

Stony Point Baptist does not routinely perform criminal background checks, and Hamilton said he does not know what is involved in performing such searches.

According to the Kansas Registered Offender Web site operated by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, offenses committed before 1994 are not available.


Joy’s offenses — eight counts of indecent liberties with a child — occurred in 1987 and 1989.
Joy made his initial court appearance Tuesday without an attorney. His hearing is scheduled for Nov. 3 in Wyandotte County District Court.