Assaults and Sexual Crimes 07/23/2023

(July 17) Arcadia Pastor Being Investigated After Child Molestation Allegations | Arcadia, FL

The DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) is investigating an Arcadia pastor for possible child molestation charges.

Two people who live in separate counties and don’t know each other accused Redemption Church Pastor Scott Erickson of sexual abuse.

A recently released report from DCSO details two victims who have made allegations against the 51-year-old. The alleged crimes occurred more than five years ago.

One victim, now a teenager, reported they were 10-11 years old at the time of the abuse. The minor reported Pastor Scott Erickson from Redemption Church making sexual comments and actions toward the victim, including being forced to perform oral sex and being touched multiple times. 

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(July 15) Former Youth Pastor Charged With Sexual Battey | Twin Falls, ID

A former youth pastor at a Twin Falls church faces sexual battery charges after police say he inappropriately touched a girl in 2021 when she was 16 years old.

Dakota Austin Kennemer, 31, was charged June 30 after an investigation started in January when the pastor at Grace Baptist Church contacted police after learning about the alleged incident that occurred within the church and the accompanying Twin Falls Christian Academy.

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(July 14) Maryland Pastor Convicted Of Rape, Sex Offense Against Parishioner | MD

A pastor in Maryland was found guilty of sexually assaulting a parishioner of his Montgomery County church.

Iglesia Pentecostal El Fin Viene pastor Erick Odir Vidal-Fuentes, 39, was convicted on Tuesday of second-degree rape and a fourth-degree sex offense against a parishioner, Takoma Park police said in a press release.

According to Montgomery County State's Attorney John McCarthy, Vidal-Fuentes "abused his position as head of a church to gain the confidence of this parishioner, and then violated her trust, victimizing her."

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(July 14) Lawsuit Says Pastor Behind ‘Regular And Repeated’ Sex Abuse At Church, School In Fresno | Fresno, CA

A former student of a Christian school in Fresno filed a lawsuit alleging a church leader kissed her forcibly and made her touch him sexually when she was 14, the Fresno Bee has learned.

The girl identified only as “Jane Roe,” who is now older than 40, says the abuse started when she was 14 and a student at Truth Tabernacle Christian School in Fresno, the lawsuit says.

Court documents named the church, the United Pentecostal Church International, and Galen Gregg, a former church pastor who also was a teacher and administrator at the school.

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(July 14) Former North Shore Priest Accused Of Child Molestation Changes Plea To Guilty; Sentenced To Prison | Slidell, LA

District Attorney Warren Montgomery announced that former Slidell priest, Patrick Brian Wattigny, has pleaded guilty to two counts of molestation of a juvenile on Wednesday (July 12).

District Judge John Keller presided over the case and sentenced Wattigny to 15 years in prison for each count. The sentences will run concurrently, with 10 years suspended.

In addition to the prison term, Wattigny was sentenced to another five years of probation, sex offender registration and notification, and a “no contact” order concerning the victims.

The District Attorney’s Office did not agree to any concessions, and the Court had sole discretion in determining the sentence.

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