Seaford pastor charged with forcible touching

A Seaford church pastor has been charged with misdemeanor forcible touching in connection with an incident in October, according to police and court records.

The Rev. Ronald M. Klose, 58, was arrested March 23 and arraigned at Nassau First District Court in Hempstead last Tuesday, police said.

District Judge Andrea Phoenix ordered him held on $2,000 bond or $1,000 cash bail and issued a temporary order of protection against him, records show.

Nassau police Monday said Klose was accused of "forcibly touching a female" at an Octoberfest Celebration at the Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in 2008.

Obama on gays

"While we have come a long way since the Stonewall riots in 1969, we still have a lot of work to do. Too often, the issue of LGBT rights is exploited by those seeking to divide us. But at its core, this issue is about who we are as Americans. It's about whether this nation is going to live up to its founding promise of equality by treating all its citizens with dignity and respect."
-- Barack Obama, June 1, 2007

Former Texas pastor indicted in wife's 2006 death

WACO, Texas (AP) — A former pastor was indicted on a murder charge in his wife's 2006 death, which initially was ruled a suicide before her parents pressed authorities to reopen the case.

Matt Baker, 37, remained jailed on $500,000 bond Thursday, a day after a grand jury handed up the indictment that alleges he killed his 31-year-old wife, Kari, by giving her drugs and suffocating her with a pillow.

Baker, a former Baptist minister at several central Texas churches, denies the charge. He has said his wife, a schoolteacher, used sleeping pills to end her life because she was despondent over the 1998 death of a daughter from cancer. He also denies allegations he was having an affair at the time his wife died.

His attorney, Richard Ellison, told the Waco Tribune-Herald that he and his client were "shocked and disappointed" at the indictment, which he said was "all caused by family pressure."

Kari Baker's parents, Linda and James Dulin, never believed Baker's account of how their daughter died at the couple's home in Hewitt, a Waco suburb. Baker now lives in Kerrville with the couple's two daughters.

As her parents pushed for further investigation, the justice of the peace who had initially ruled Kari Baker's death a suicide ordered the body exhumed. The death certificate eventually was amended to list the cause as undetermined.

The parents pursued a wrongful-death lawsuit against Baker, still pending, and hired experts who uncovered evidence that they shared with authorities.

Linda Dulin told the newspaper that the indictment brought her one step closer to fulfilling a vow she made after her daughter died.

"I knew this day was coming," she said. "I knew it was. Now, I want Matt to pay for murdering my daughter, and I want to rescue my granddaughters."

Baker was arrested in late 2007, but McLennan County District Attorney John Segrest said in March 2008 that there was not enough evidence at the time to seek an indictment. The investigation continued.

Officials have said Matt Baker researched sleeping pills on Web sites, and that his wife told at least two people she thought her husband was having an affair, had found crushed pills in his briefcase and feared for her life.

Kari Baker's family and friends say that far from being depressed, she was looking forward to starting a new job.

Phila. pastor arrested in Del. child sex charges

Police in New Castle County, Delaware, have arrested the pastor of a Philadelphia congregation on charges of sexually abusing a teenage boy.

The Rev. Harry R. Benson Jr., 40, senior pastor of Eastwick United Methodist Church on Lindbergh Road in Southwest Philadelphia, was arrested Tuesday on charges of rape in the first degree, one count of continuous sexual abuse of a child, 12 counts of unlawful sexual contact in the first degree, and one count of sexual solicitation of a child, according to the New Castle County Police Department. The assaults, police said, lasted years. Police provided few other details, to protect the victim. Benson was arrested after the boy told a counselor at his high school about the abuse. Benson, who resides in Newark, Del., was being held in Howard Young Prison after failing to post $126,000 secured bail.

Bishop Peggy Johnson, head of the Eastern Pennsylvania Synod of the United Methodist Church, said in a statement yesterday that Benson had been suspended from his pastoral duties and would remain so pending outcome of the police investigation.

Calls to Eastwick United Methodist Church were not returned yesterday.

Delaware Pastor Arrested For Years Of Sexual Abuse

Delaware pastor Harry Benson, 40, was arrested after police learned he sexually abused a youth for several years.

A Delaware pastor has been arrested after police learned of his involvement in the long-term sexual abuse of an area youth.

Harry Benson, 40, was charged with rape, sexual abuse of a child and related offenses Tuesday.

Police said a young male notified a high school resource officer that Benson, the senior pastor at Eastern Pennsylvania United Methodist Church, had been sexually abusing him for several years.

Benson is currently being held on $126,000 bail.

Pastor Arrested For Having Sex With A Teen Girl

An Adams County pastor is accused of having sex with a girl, 14, and fathering her child. Rev. Freddie Parker, 51, is charged with statutory rape. He was arraigned Monday and released on a $10,000 bond.

Authorities say the victim, who is now 15, filed a complaint against Parker in February claiming he got her pregnant. A DNA test was performed and based on the results police issued warrants for his arrest.

Parker is the minister of True Bibleway church in Adams County. The teen claims she was involved with Parker sexually for several months. She says it started when she was 14 and claims they had sex at the church and at each of their homes.

“He’s lower than a dog in my book,” said Adams County resident E.J. Rankin. “When you got a pastor that do something like that, I got no use for him whatsoever.“

Rankin is not a member of the church but says he does attend church every Sunday.

“He’s supposed to be upholding of the lord and god and everything and he had let the people down. I think he outta be hung is what i think about it,“ Rankin said.

We tried contacting the staff here at True Bibleway church about the allegations, but we could not reach them for comment.

Village Baptist Church youth pastor arrested on rape complaints

THE VILLAGE - A youth minister at Village Baptist Church was arrested this week after a 15-year-old girl told police she had a sexual encounter with him.

Doug Davis, 30, was taken into custody at the church Monday on arrest warrants on complaints of second-degree rape, rape by instrumentation and making lewd proposals to a minor under the age of 16.

Police say the girl was not affiliated with the church and was not a member of the youth group.

“They were apparently family friends,” The Village Deputy Police Chief Steve Jagosh said. “This evolved from friendship and in the real recent past there were sexually explicit text messages that continued for a few days and in two instances they had sexual contact with each other.”

Police found out about the accusations over the weekend when the girl’s parents took her to the police department to file a report.

Jagosh said police don’t have reason to believe there were other victims, but because Davis worked with the same age group at church, police are continuing the investigation to determine if there was any inappropriate contact within the youth group.

Davis, who was booked into the Oklahoma County jail, posted a $40,000 bond Tuesday.

Village Baptist Church leaders would not comment on the arrest, but an e-mail sent to church members said that because “of a situation in the life of Doug Davis, he has resigned as our student minister.”

The e-mail from pastor Jim Butler said the church has scheduled a meeting for 6:30 tonight to discuss the issue with church youth and their parents.

“Keep our church, our youth group, and Doug in your prayers,” the pastor wrote in the e-mail.

Police: Buckeye pastor was 'sexual predator'

A Buckeye pastor was arrested Friday on suspicion of using his position to sexually assault troubled women during counseling sessions, police said.

Charles Lawrence Carfrey, 59, pastor of the Lord's House Church, was booked on counts of running a criminal syndicate, sexual conduct with a minor and sexual abuse, police said. He's being held without bond.

Carfrey, who started as a pastor in Oregon in 1990 and moved to Buckeye in 2000 or 2001, allegedly fondled three adult and teenage women in Buckeye and one in Oregon during counseling sessions, said Buckeye police Det. Doug Dodge.

Dodge said police have been investigating the case since accusations were made against Carfrey in 2005 but weren't able to make headway until recently, when people left the church and came forward. Police said the victims and witnesses felt trapped and betrayed by Carfrey.

"A lot of them were manipulated," Dodge said. "They believed that he cared for them more than he did, others were threatened with financial ruin, others were threatened with physical harm . . . He basically told them their life would be a living hell if they talked to us back in '05."

Carfrey's pastoral certification also is in question. Police checked into his degrees and the university is reportedly a diploma mill, Dodge said.

The case is still under investigation.

"We do expect further victims to come out in our investigation and we also feel that there's the possibility for further arrests" of other church members, Dodge said.

"Every sexual predator has their own method of acquiring victims and this is Charles Lawrence Carfrey's method," Dodge said. "I think it is just his way of getting his victims."

Pastor charged in rape

NATCHEZ — The Pastor of True Bibleway Church was arrested and charged with statutory rape for allegedly having sexual relations with, and impregnating, a 14-year-old congregant.

On Monday, the Rev. Freddie L. Parker was arraigned and released on a $10,000 bond.

Adams County Sheriff’s Deputy Maj. Jody Waldrop said deputies became aware of the case when Parker's victim, now 15, came forward to file a complaint against Parker in February after giving birth to a child alleged to be his.

Waldrop said a DNA test was done to establish paternity.

“Based on evidence from the DNA tests, warrants were issued for his arrest,” Waldrop said.

Waldrop said the girl reported she had been in a sexual relationship with Parker for several months, starting when she was 14.

Additionally, the girl reported she and Parker had sexual relations in the church and in both of their houses, Waldrop said.

Staff of the True Bibleway Church could not be reached for comment.

Former pastor enters guilty plea entered in child porn case

GREENVILLE — A former Royse City pastor pleaded guilty Thursday to federal charges he possessed and trafficked in child pornography on his church’s computers.

Steve Richardson pleaded guilty to two federal counts; one alleging transporting and shipping child pornography and one alleging the possession of child pornography before Magistrate Judge Irma C Ramirez. Richardson is facing a maximum sentence on the transporting count of between five and 20 years in prison; a fine of up to $250,000; a possible term of supervised release of from five years to life following any term of imprisonment and restitution. For the possession charge, Richardson is facing a maximum of up to 10 years in prison, a fine, supervised release and restitution.

Sentencing is scheduled for June 15.

Richardson, 36, the former pastor of First United Methodist Church, was arrested Sept. 24, 2008 by agents with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Under the plea agreement, Richardson has agreed to relinquish his rights to computers which were seized from the church.

Richardson has told prosecutors other church officials were unaware of his use of the computers to commit the offenses to which he pleaded Thursday.

According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s office issued following the arrest, Richardson used Google “Hello” software to distribute the pornography.

On December 20, 2007, Richardson, using the user name “cowboysspades,” distributed an image of child pornography to an undercover ICE agent. The investigation began in August 2007 when ICE Special Agents executed a search warrant in a child pornography investigation at the residence of M.H., who consented to agents assuming his online presence on Google Hello to communicate with individuals involved in distributing child pornography. On December 20, 2007, an ICE Special Agent, using M.H.’s Google Hello identity in an undercover capacity, communicated with and received an image of child pornography from Hello user “cowboysspades.” M.H. received a total of six images from “cowboysspades,” one of which fits the definition of child pornography; the other images would be considered child erotica.

On February 1, 2008, the ICE Special Agent, operating undercover, was again contacted by “cowboysspades,” who sent M.H. five images appearing to be child erotica.

On September 26, 2007, ICE Special Agents executed a search warrant at the residence of R.F., which resulted in the seizure of computers and arrest of R.F. for possession of child pornography. R.F. advised that one of the screen names that he remembered trading with on Google Hello was “cowboysspades” and that “cowboysspades” had sent him “homemade” images within the past three months. Examination of R.F.’s computer revealed a folder named “from coyboysspades,” which contained approximately 30 images of child pornography.

The Google Hello records for “cowboysspades lists the email address as “girlpedolover@hushmail.com.” Further investigation revealed that the Yahoo! email name “girlpedolover@yahoo.com“ was registered to Richardson, with the same IP address as one of the nine IP addresses “cowboysspades” used to logon to his Hello account.

Further forensic investigation revealed additional chats between “cowboysspades” and others. In one, “cowboysspades” received and distributed dozens of images of child pornography including several images of infants engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

On September 24, 2008, a search warrant was executed at First United Methodist Church in Royse City, Texas. A Special Agent with ICE spoke to Richardson, who admitted that he used the Google Hello name “cowboysspades.” The affidavit also states that Richardson admitted trading child pornography using his work computer.

Child Porn Arrest Near School

A one-time youth pastor is accused of downloading child pornography. Now, Colorado Springs police say he may have been victimizing more children recently in our community.

When Robert Bell was arrested, cops say he was already on probation for sexual exploitation of a child in a different case.

The convicted sex offender lives right across the street from a school. We should point out that Bell wasn’t breaking the law. In Colorado, there's no law against registered sex offenders living near schools.

His house on West Van Buren near Cascade and Fillmore, right across the street from Corpus Christi School. A few blocks away is Lincoln Elementary.

Cops say they found explicit pictures of children when they searched Bell’s home.

Out-of-state cops tipped off local investigators. Bell had allegedly been trading inappropriate pictures of children over the Internet. Police say they found proof of that and because of the evidence they found in the house, they believe some of his victims could live here in Colorado Springs. "We're looking more of ages, elementary school," said Sgt. Bill Dehart with the Colorado Springs Police Department.

About his history as a youth pastor, we found out on-line that he's a former United Methodist minister and had been a pastor and therapist in Colorado Springs and in Canon City.

Again, cops say they are still searching for more possible victims and they hope they will come forward.

If you have any information for police, you can call Detective Blackwell 444-7532 or call Crime Stoppers at 634-STOP.

Church counselor arrested and charged with molesting two teens

A Melbourne church counselor is under arrest and being charged with molesting two teenagers at the Life for Youth Church Camp in Vero Beach.

David Frank Martin, a church counselor at the Faith Fellowship Church in Melbourne, was arrested Saturday morning after police say he was accused of sexually molesting two teens that were under his care during a church retreat. The two victims are 11 and 13 years old.

Authorities have not yet released any other details about the case. According to Sherri Stevens, the director of the Life for Youth Church Camp, the initial complaint was given to her by an adult member of the Faith Fellowship group on Saturday

"We had a group here renting the facility here for a retreat, and the leader came to me and said that there was an incident that happened in one of their cabins... and that some kids had alleged that they had been sexually molested," said Stevens.

That complaint led to the arrest of Martin, later that morning. The situation is a travesty for the staff at the youth ca, who are now finding themselves having to regain the trust of those looking to them for spiritual guidance.

"We just have to believe that what we're doing here, and the facility that we're providing, and the purpose that we're here for, still continues on," said Stevens.

Camp officials say they conduct strict background checks on all full time employees, and that they trust that every church that goes their conducts their own background checks on chaperons and counselors too. They say this is the first time anything like this has been alleged at the camp, in its 48 year history.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, Church Leaders at the Faith Fellowship Church in melbourne addressed the allegations, assuring churchgoers that their number one concern, is and always the safety of the children.

Martin is still being held at the Brevard County Jail, and is expected to be transferred over to the Indian River County Jail some time on Monday. No word yet on whether he will have a bond set.

Former pastor sentenced

REDDING, Calif. (AP) - A former Redding pastor has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for child molestation. David Bishop was arrested in October and charged with 47 counts of lewd and lascivious conduct with a child under age 14. He agreed to plead guilty to five counts in exchange for the 16-year sentence. He is the former senior pastor of the First United Pentecostal Church.

Youth pastor held on $100,000 bail

NEWPORT BEACH - A former youth pastor jailed on suspicion of having a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old parishioner at a Rancho Santa Margarita church and trying to seduce her 15-year-old relative had his bail set today at $100,000.

Shane Garrett Horning, 28, of San Jose, worked at the Santa Margarita Methodist Church in 2005, when he met the then-16-year-old girl, said Farrah Emami of the Orange County District Attorney's Office.

Horning, who was 25 at the time, allegedly began "sexting," or sending the teen sexually suggestive cellphone messages for a year, beginning in January 2005, and on several occasions had oral sex with her at his home, Emami said.

Horning left the church in 2006 and eventually moved to San Jose.

The girl told no one about the relationship until this year, when she learned that Horning was sexting with a 15-year-old relative, Emami said.

Emami did not disclose the relationship between the two girls.

Horning was arrested and charged with four felony counts of oral copulation with a minor, as well as a felony count of distributing lewd material to a minor and misdemeanor child annoyance in connection with the younger girl, Emami said.

He faces up to four years and eight months in prison if convicted, she said.

Horning's arraignment was postponed until March 18.

Ashton Pastor Charged With Lewd Conduct

ASHTON - The pastor of a church in Ashton was in court Tuesday accused of having inappropriate sexual contact with someone under the age of 18.

Ruben Elmer Floyd, Jr., 48, pleaded not guilty to four counts of lewd conduct with a minor.

Floyd was arrested late Monday afternoon by the Fremont County Sheriff's office with the assistance of the Ashton Police Department.

He was booked into the county jail, and his bond was set at $150,000.

During his arraignment, Floyd asked for a lawyer.

An earlier report said Floyd was a pastor at the Berean Baptist church in Ashton; this is not true. He was the pastor for the Ashton Bible Church, a relatively new church in the area.

Pastor pleads guilty to two sex charges

PINEVILLE, Mo. — A Neosho man identified as the self-anointed pastor of a church could be sentenced to 15 years in prison in exchange for pleading guilty to a pair of sex charges.

Randall “Danny” Russell, pastor of the Acts II Church in rural Neosho, pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count each of first-degree child molestation and sexual exploitation of a minor. Russell’s plea agreement calls for 15 years in prison on each count, to be served concurrently, said Bill Dobbs, assistant Newton County prosecutor.

“He should do 85 percent (of the sentence),” Dobbs said after Russell’s hearing. A sentencing hearing has been set for next month.

As part of the plea agreement, the remaining 18 felony charges against Russell will be dismissed, Dobbs said.

Russell testified Tuesday that he engaged in sexual relations with a girl who was younger than 14 between November 1996 and March 1997.

“I fondled her and played with her,” Russell said.

Russell also publicly admitted taking sexual photographs of a girl younger than 18 in September 2004.

“(In) some of them, she was nude,” Russell said. “(In) some of them, she had clothes on.”

Dobbs said after the hearing that Russell knew his victims through church.

“He took a special interest in these young women and exploited them sexually,” Dobbs said.

Multiple charges were brought against Russell, 50, after he was arrested in April 2008.

Before Tuesday’s agreement, he faced 20 felony charges: six counts of possession of child pornography; one count each of statutory rape in the second degree and child abuse; two counts of child molestation in the first degree; two counts of statutory sodomy in the first degree; two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor; and six counts of statutory sodomy in the second degree.

The charges were transferred to McDonald County on a change of venue.

Youth Pastor Accused Of Sex Acts With 14-Year-Old Posted Bond, Re-Arrested

High Point, NC -- After originally posting bond, a High Point youth pastor and Christian school athletic director was re-arrested on 19 additional sex charges.

Benjamin Douglas Caldwell, 29, was arrested last week after police received a 911 call about a sexual assault that just occurred on the west side of High Point.

Police say the suspect was being detained in the victim's home at the time of the call. Investigators with High Point Police say it was a family member who caught and held him in the home until police arrived.

Investigators found the assaults had been going on for the past three months.

During an interview, police say Caldwell admitted to multiple counts of Statutory Rape, Statutory Sex Offense and Taking Indecent Liberties With a Minor.

Police say Caldwell also admitted he was the youth pastor of Hayworth Wesleyan Church and the Athletic Director of Hayworth Christian School. According to the church's pastor, David Emery, Caldwell has been dismissed from his duties. Emery also said the victim was not a student at the school or church.

The Pastor of the church told WFMY News 2 on Friday afternoon that Caldwell has been fired.

He was originally charged with was charged with 6-counts of Statutory Rape of a 14 Year Old, 3-counts of Statutory Sex Offense of a 14 Year Old and 8-counts of Taking Indecent Liberties With a Minor.

Caldwell was placed in Guilford County Jail under a $500,000 bond. The Clerk of Court for High Point says his bond was later reduced to $100,000, at which time he posted bond.

On Monday, Caldwell was re-arrested on an additional 19 sex related charges. The additional charges include 17-counts of Taking Indecent Liberties with a Child, 1-count of Statutory Rape and 1-count of Statutory Sex Offense.

He was placed back in the Guilford County Jail under a $1,000,000 bond.

This is an ongoing investigation and if anyone has information related to this case, please contact Detective Thompson at (336)887-7864.

Youth Pastor, Athletic Director Admits To Sex Acts With 14-Year-Old

High Point, NC -- High Point police say the youth pastor and athletic director for a local church was arrested on multiple sex counts with a minor.

Benjamin Douglas Caldwell, 29, was arrested after police received a 911 call about a sexual assault that just occurred on the west side of High Point.

Police say the suspect was being detained in the victim's home at the time of the call. Lt. Myers with the High Point Police Department could not release exactly how the suspect was detained.

Investigators found the assaults had been going on for the past three months.

During an interview, police say Caldwell admitted to multiple counts of Statutory Rape, Statutory Sex Offense and Taking Indecent Liberties With a Minor.

He was charged with was charged with 6-counts of Statutory Rape of a 14 Year Old, 3-counts of Statutory Sex Offense of a 14 Year Old and 8-counts of Taking Indecent Liberties With a Minor.

Caldwell is currently being held under a $500,000 bond.

Police say Caldwell also admitted he was the youth pastor of Hayworth Wesleyan Church and the Athletic Director of Hayworth Christian School. According to the church's pastor, David Emery, Caldwell has been dismissed from his duties. Emery also said the victim was not a student at the school or church.

Update:
Late Friday afternoon the Pastor of the church told WFMY News 2's Kerri Hartsfield that Caldwell has been fired. He said the teenager was not enrolled in their school and was not a member of the church.

Investigators with High Point Police say Benjamin Caldwell confessed to the crime once he was in custody. They say it was a family member who caught and held him in the home until police arrived.

This is an ongoing investigation and if anyone has information related to this case, please contact Detective Thompson at (336)887-7864.

Ordained Minister Accused of Raping Young Girl

Ordained Minister David A. Merritt, 44, has been arrested and charged with raping a child by the New Castle County Police.

He started sexually abusing his victim when she was 12, said police.

The crimes continued for three years, until someone went to police on the victim's behalf.

Merritt, who lives in Claymont, Del., was arrested on Wednesday after a three-week investigation.

He told police, "I need to seek professional help for this sin that has cursed me," according to court documents.

Figuring out Merritt's background as an ordained minister has been a challenge.

No one seems to know where he preached or practiced.

Merritt did work for a church. He worked on the website for Victory Christian Fellowship Church in New Castle.

But the pastor there says Merritt was only an employee and has since been fired.

He didn't attend church services and never had any contact with children, according to Pastor Gary Whetland.

No one there was even aware Merritt was ordained, said Whetland.

Merritt has been arraigned on eight rape charges.

He was in custody Friday at the Howard Young Prison because he couldn't make his $435,000 bail.