I've had a busy week. I would normally make a blog post from each of the 11 stories I've highlighted below. This must do for now. What with my new love Twitter taking up so much of my time.
It was a toss up between organizing this post by state or by religious sect. I opted for by state in the end because so many of stories were from my home state of California.
From Illinois
Youth pastor Terrence Jenkins was charged with predatory criminal sexual abuse against a child. Jenkins is a Baptist. He serves at the Faith United Baptist Church in O'Fallon, Illinois.
Pastor John Regan allegedly used $112K in money from St. Walter Catholic Church to support his gambling habit. Pastor Regan was shipped out to a rehabilitation center. Parishioners at the Roselle, Illinois church want to know if Regan will be back in time for the weekly poker game.
From Florida
Pastor Daniel A. Gomez was arrested for allegedly molesting a 12-year-old girl. He was charged with lewd or lascivious battery. Gomez is the pastor of the Center of Unction Church of the Nazarene in Brandon, Florida. Eight months ago, Gomez was charged with three counts of lewd or lascivious molestation of a person younger than 18. His crimes are against the same victim. It must be love.
From California
Pastor Eduardo Fernandez Carvajal was indicted for selling hundreds of juvenile leopard sharks on the black market. Why a pastor would sell sharks? I don't really know.
Closing arguments are underway in the murder trial of Pastor Howard Douglas Porter. Porter is accused of staging an accident in 2004 that killed 85-year-old Frank Craig, who had hoped the preacher would use his millions to build an agriculture museum. Of course, this seems like a really stupid reason for a pastor to kill another person. What a waste.
Youth pastor and St. Helena High School coach Herschel Sandler was sentenced to 270 days in county jail and five years probation for sexually molesting two teenaged female students. He cultivated a relationship with two young girls which resulted in what his victims call consensual sex. Since they were both below the age of consent, and Sandler is such a nice guy, they let him off with a slap on the wrist. There is no prison time for Pastor Sandler, but he will have to register as a sex offender.
Pastor Robert Jennings of Perris, California (not at all like Paris) was convicted of stealing $32 million in a fraugulent investment scheme.
The groups discussed the investments during nightly conference calls, many of which included a group prayer and a claim that the gold transaction was “divinely inspired.” Many of the calls also included information about what the men claimed were “humanitarian projects” funded by the profits, the indictment said.
From Texas
Charles Thomas Hogland pleaded guilty to three counts of indecency with a child. He faces 20 years in prison on each count. Hogland was pastor of the now defunct Greggton Church of Christ in Longview, Texas. Hogland like to rub an 11-year-old's genitalia while he wrote his sermons. He was a pastor for 40 years. There was at least one other victim.
From Delaware
Gerald L. Klever of Tucson, Arizona was sentenced to 10 years probation, one year of house arrest, 1,000 hours of community service, and $25K in restitution. Klever liked to have oral sex with young woman from his congregation. This was back in the 80's before it was illegal for dirty old pastors to molest their flocks.
"The crimes happened in 1980, when he was an assistant pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Springfield, Delaware County"
From New York
Pastor Gabriel DeJesus, a Catholic school principle in New York was caught in a public gay threesome. DeJesus heads the Sacred Heart School for the Arts in Mount Vernon, New York. He has been asked to resign.
From New Mexico
Cult leader Wayne Bent thinking lying with naked Children is a religious healing practice. Bent runs a sex cult near Des Moines, Iowa. A former member has a weird website here. Or you can read about Bent's Lord Our Righteousness Church. Bent's a nutter.
1 comment:
I didn't realize you were on Twitter. I'm following you now.
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