Assaults and Sexual Crimes 07/07/2023

(July 6) Former Youth Pastor Faces More Charges After Recording Women, Girls In Bathroom | Greenville County, SC

A former youth pastor is facing additional charges after deputies said he filmed women and girls using the bathroom in the church bathroom between 2017 to 2023.

The investigation began on May 27 when deputies from the Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office were called to a home after Daniel Kellan Mayfield, 35, of Boiling Springs, admitted to videoing a woman while she was showering in Greenwood County.

He was charged with one count of voyeurism.

After further investigation, Mayfield was accused of recording multiple girls, as young as 14- years old, in the bathroom of First Baptist Gowensville on Highway 14 near Landrum.

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(July 4) Church Of The Brethren Leaders Respond Following Reporting Of Sexual Abuse By Former Employee | Elgin, IL

A statement by the Mission and Ministry Board of the Church of the Brethren, approved July 4, 2023

Current Church of the Brethren, Inc. organizational leaders have become aware of sexual abuse by an employee in a work setting, reported to have taken place several decades ago. Both the abused victim and the alleged perpetrator were adults at the time of the abuse and both are now deceased. Action was taken by church leaders at that time, but a recently published book, Her Words, My Voice, has expanded and brought new attention to that reporting.

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(July 3) Texas Pastor Pleads Guilty To Possession Of Child Sex Abuse Images | Round Rock, TX

A Texas pastor pleaded guilty to an enhanced charge of possession of child sex abuse images after he admitted having downloaded some of the materials at his church, according to federal prosecutors and court documents.

David Lloyd Walther, 57, "knowingly searched for, downloaded, distributed and possessed" child sex abuse images, some of which depicted prepubescent minors, on a peer-to-peer file sharing network while he was the pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Round Rock, a city 18 miles north of Austin, the U.S. attorney's office for Western Texas said Thursday.

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(July 3) Former New Mexico Priest Arrested With Federal Charges For Alleged Child Sex Abuse | Santa Fe, NM

A former Roman Catholic priest in Sante Fe was charged by a federal grand jury on Thursday accusing him of the enticement of a minor with the intent to engage in sexual activity, according to the U.S. Attorney's office.

According to the indictment, Daniel Balizan, 61, was charged with one count of coercion and enticement, which carries a sentence of 10 years to life.

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(July 1) 2 Active East Bay Priests Accused In Recent Child Sex Abuse Suits | East Bay

At least two priests actively serving Catholic parishes in the East Bay are among hundreds of Bay Area clergy being accused of abusing children in a flood of recent lawsuits.

As the Diocese of Oakland attempts to seal the names of accused clergy during its ongoing bankruptcy case, NBC Bay Area has learned two working East Bay priests are among those alleged to have abused children in a recent wave of civil lawsuits. Tim Stier, the former Oakland priest who was on the bankruptcy call last week, said that “having worked with Fr.

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