Tag Archives: pastor crime

The New York Times reports: The Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo agreed to a provisional settlement of $150 million with more than 800 victims of sexual abuse, a lawyer for dozens of the accusers said, bringing one of New York’s most embattled and scandal-plagued dioceses closer to resolving years of legal wrangling. Bishop Michael W. Fisher of Buffalo said in …

The Roys Report reports: A former Calvary Chapel pastor convicted of child molestation was charged in Washington state on Wednesday with first-degree murder and kidnapping in connection with the death of an 82-year-old grandmother who was entombed under a shed. Jeffrey Zizz, 47, was charged with premeditated first-degree murder and first-degree felony murder, both while armed with a deadly weapon, …

Little Rock’s CBS affiliate reports: The Pike County Sheriff’s Department announced on Monday that an Arkansas pastor has been sentenced to 110 years in prison. The man — James Vincent Henry who worked as a pastor in Delight, Arkansas — pleaded guilty to 11 child sexual abuse material charges. As result, Henry received 10 years per count for a total …

Columbus’s CBS affiliate reports: The sheriff’s office said 36-year-old Gary Thomas Keesee Jr. was arrested at his home and is charged with two counts of rape.  According to Mount Vernon Municipal Court records, the victim who made the initial report said the abuse happened when they were 5 and 6 years old and took place on over 50 occasions. During …

Michigan radio station WHMI reports: A former pastor has pleaded guilty to numerous felony charges for secretly recording people in a church bathroom. Former 2/42 Community Church Pastor 38-year-old Will Johnson pleaded guilty to all 15 charges against him that included tampering with evidence, child sexually abusive activity, using a commuter to commit a crime, possession of child sexually abusive …

The Yakima Herald-Republic reports: Prosecutors charged an Outlook youth pastor with raping a teenage girl he knew. In addition to five charges each of second-degree rape and third-degree child molestation, Benjamin Felix Guerra, 32, was also charged with three counts of third-degree child rape and a single count of communicating with a minor for immoral purposes, according to a six-page …

The Baptist Press reports: Shane Wiggins, pastor of Baldwin Baptist Mission Church, Baldwin, Louisiana, was arrested April 9 on charges of rape and molestation. Wiggins has been with the Baldwin congregation, a mission of Little Pass Baptist Church in Charenton, La., since March 2015. According to the police department of Morgan City, La., Wiggins was arrested in Paris, Texas, and faces …

The Scranton Times-Tribune reports: A former Lackawanna County reverend who was caught trying to set up a sexual liaison with a child during online chats with an undercover police officer pleaded guilty Friday to a felony charge of unlawful contact with a minor. Robert John Morgan, 76, entered his plea in exchange for prosecutors dropping additional charges against him. Kingston …

NorthCentralPA.com reports: A reverend from a church in North Rome is facing child pornography charges after a predator sting was conducted in Bradford County. The 40-year-old man, who was arrested at the church on Thursday, allegedly admitted he has been viewing and masturbating to child pornography for years. Swink has been a pastor at North Rome Wesleyan Church since 2018. …

Los Angeles’s NBC affiliate reports: A Catholic priest serving at a church in Downey was arrested after being accused of raping a minor, LA County records showed Tuesday. Fr. Jaime Arriaga, 41, was removed from ministry at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Downey after the allegation surfaced, the LA Archdiocese confirmed Tuesday. “The archdiocese has a long-standing commitment to …

Oklahoma City’s NBC affiliate reports: A metro pastor was arrested this week after he allegedly convinced his congregation to move in with him, and then molested a young girl. Elmer Baca-Flores is the owner of a 501c3 nonprofit church labeled ‘Ministerio Levantando Adoradores Para Cristo Inc.’ Two men told officials that their wives had been brainwashed by Flores and that …

Jacksonville’s NBC affiliate reports: Thursday, Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper announced the arrests of 23 people across Florida and Georgia — who he referred to as “real monsters” seeking sex with children — in a two-phase sting operation. Detectives went undercover online, posing as minors, and were then able to intercept the suspects as they sought to meet up with …

Denver’s Fox affiliate reports: A pastor employed by Word Alive Church was arrested Tuesday after reported incidents of sexual assault on juveniles while he was a youth pastor there. Joshua Lucero, 28, was charged with one count of sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust by the 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. The Thornton Police …

The Biloxi Sun-Herald reports: A federal judge sentenced a former South Mississippi minister to 20 years in prison for sexual conduct with a young boy in a bathtub while video chatting with a resident of the United Kingdom. Tyler Selby’s supporters, including family and church members, lined more than two benches in the courtroom at the sentencing hearing in U.S. …

The Roys Report reports: A North Carolina pastor was found dead a week after he was charged with multiple child sex crimes, the Union County Sheriff’s Office today confirmed with The Roys Report (TRR). Waymon Jordan Sr., the senior pastor at Greater Blessed Hope Baptist Church in Waxhaw, North Carolina, was arrested on March 6, according to an earlier statement …

Jackson’s NBC affiliate reports: A Jefferson County pastor and former school bus driver is being accused of sexually exploiting children. On Wednesday, Elvis Colenberg turned himself in to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department. He’s being charged with one count of exploitation of children. Investigators said Colenberg forced a 14-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl to have sex with each other …

Fort Wayne’s ABC affiliate reports: A recently retired Orland pastor has been arrested on several child molestation charges, court documents say. Rodger Strong, 69, is accused of molesting a 5-year-old girl on five different occasions between Jan. 1, 2024, and May 7, 2024, according to court records. The victim’s mother alerted police to the abuse on March 5, 2025. As …

The Tampa Free Press reports: Christopher Hayes, a 46-year-old realtor, youth lacrosse coach, and church deacon, has been arrested following a disturbing investigation into child pornography and bestiality. The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office uncovered hundreds of explicit files linked to Hayes, including videos depicting child sexual abuse and sexual acts involving animals. The investigation began on December 12, 2024, when …

New Orleans’ CBS affiliate reports: A pastor in Slidell was sentenced to two years in prison and three years of probation for taping the mouths of three students shut while serving as headmaster of a Christian school. John Raymond, formerly in charge of Lakeside Christian School in Slidell, was convicted of cruelty to juveniles after authorities said he disciplined the …

The Associated Press reports: A former pastor of a Texas megachurch is expected to turn himself into Oklahoma authorities Monday on child sexual abuse charges. Robert Preston Morris, 63, is expected to surrender to officials in Osage County, where he was charged last week with five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child, his attorney, Mack Martin, told …