Union County pastor facing felony child sex abuse charges: Sheriff
UNION COUNTY, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — A Waxhaw-area pastor has been arrested in connection to a child sexual assault investigation, according to the Union County Sheriff’s Office.
The investigation, led by detectives with the Union County Sheriff’s Office Special Victims Unit, began in late February after reports of an alleged assault surfaced.
Over several weeks, investigators said they conducted several interviews and collected evidence, leading them to Jordan as the suspect.
Jordan has been charged with four counts of felony statutory sexual offense with a child. After his arrest, he was processed into the Union County Detention Center with a secured bond set at $200,000. Jordan was able to post bond and has since been released.
The investigation remains ongoing, and authorities are urging anyone with additional information to come forward. Residents can contact the UCSO at 704-283-3789.
Family member of young boys sexually abused by Splendora spiritual advisor speaks out
SPLENDORA, Texas – A woman sat down exclusively with KPRC 2 Reporter Corley Peel
about the years of sexual abuse boys in her family faced.
Last week, 81-year-old Albert Carlson was convicted for continuous child sex abuse and sentenced to a lifetime in prison without parole. Prosecutors said Carlson preyed on neighborhood boys in Splendora who came from impoverished homes. They were between the ages of 10 to 17 years old during the time of the abuse.
KPRC 2 is not naming the family member to protect the victims’ identities. She said her family lived with Carlson for roughly five years. He got their entire family involved in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
“He and my husband decided maybe he could help us out. He was an abiding member of the Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We just, we tried to put our faith in it and we needed to get ahead. Then it all soon changed,” she said.
The woman said Carlson would buy the boys expensive gifts her family couldn’t afford.
“He would buy the best PlayStations, he would buy the dirt bikes, he would buy four wheelers, buy skateboards, take the kids to skate shops, take them to skate clubs and just anything that they wanted to do. But it was mainly for the boys. The girls didn’t have the opportunity to do that, and he would tell them that,” said the woman.
Looking back, the woman said she realized a lot of Carlson’s behaviors were suspicious.
“He had his little private Bible studies in his bedroom for the boys. I always thought it was weird. He didn’t ever let our daughter join in on it,” said the woman.
She said he would take the boys on business trips by themselves. In 2020, one of the boys opened up to her about the sexual abuse.
“Then another family member had a similar story. And then a real close family member. The day that I called the police, I found out that it did happen to them for six years, right behind the very doors we lived in,” she said.
Investigators quickly learned Carlson had a previous conviction in Utah for lewdness with a child in the 1980′s. Prosecutors said that case involved a boy he met through church. The woman said she became concerned after learning Carlson lived in several other states.
“He would tell the stories when we lived there about how he had skate clubs in California and all these other states that only kids that skip school and stuff like that would go to. So, there’s got to be more victims out there and they have to come forward if there is. We have to put a stop to this man,” she said.
Prosecutors said five victims testified against Carlson during the trial. One of them was from the Utah case. The woman said a sixth possible victim did not get the chance to face Carlson, because he (the victim) passed away a year ago. She said Carlson was found guilty on his birthday. The woman was sick the day she was supposed to read her victim impact statement in court, but she shared it with KPRC 2.
“I want you to know you deserve everything you’re about to get, and I hope you live a long life so that you have to live with the shame of your guilt. You took my family’s trust and made them victims along with all the others. You tried to lure us in with your church. But we’ve seen through your lies. I just wish I could have seen how evil you really were before you hurt many children. But I’m thankful that those kids trusted in me to help them put you in jail and give them some kind of closure. That you will not be able to hurt any more children in this lifetime. And may God have pity on your soul because I don’t,” she said.
The woman said some of the boys are now struggling with their faith.
Prosecutors believe there are more victims out there, and they encourage them to come forward. They said Carlson plans to appeal.
Robert Morris indicted for child sexual abuse of Cindy Clemishire, Okla. AG says
Robert Morris, founding pastor of Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, was indicted on five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child by a multi-county grand jury in Oklahoma on Wednesday. The indictment stems from allegations made by Cindy Clemishire last June that he sexually abused her over multiple years in the 1980s, beginning when she was 12.
“In December 1982, Morris was a traveling evangelist visiting in Hominy with the family of the alleged victim, who was 12 at the time. The indictment alleges Morris’ sexual misconduct began that Christmas and continued over the next four years. In all, Morris faces five counts of lewd or indecent acts to a child,” a statement from the Office of Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond shared with The Christian Post on the charges against 63-year-old Morris, said.
“There can be no tolerance for those who sexually prey on children,” said Drummond, who once served as Clemishire’s attorney as she sought to get justice in the past. “This case is all the more despicable because the alleged perpetrator was a pastor who exploited his position. The victim in this case has waited far too many years for justice to be done.”
Gentner’s office noted that the statute of limitations is not applicable to the charges against Morris because he was not a resident or inhabitant of Oklahoma at any time.
Reacting to the indictment, Clemishire, now a 54-year-old grandmother who has been pushing to hold Morris accountable for decades, said she is grateful for the indictment some 43 years later.
“After almost 43 years, the law has finally caught up with Robert Morris for the horrific crimes he committed against me as a child. Now, it is time for the legal system to hold him accountable,” she said in a statement to CP. “My family and I are deeply grateful to the authorities who have worked tirelessly to make this day possible and remain hopeful that justice will ultimately prevail.”
Morris resigned from Gateway Church on June 18, 2024, just days after Clemishire reported that he began sexually abusing her on Dec. 25, 1982. She said the abuse continued for four-and-a-half years before it came to light. But Morris was later allowed to return to ministry.
When questioned by CP about the allegations, Morris initially confessed to being involved in "inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady" more than 35 years ago. He said he repented and was restored to ministry.
“When I was in my early twenties, I was involved in inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady in a home where I was staying. It was kissing and petting and not intercourse, but it was wrong. This behavior happened on several occasions over the next few years,” Morris said.
“In March of 1987, this situation was brought to light, and it was confessed and repented of. I submitted myself to the Elders of Shady Grove Church and the young lady’s father. They asked me to step out of ministry and receive counseling and freedom ministry, which I did. Since that time, I have walked in purity and accountability in this area,” Morris added.
Clemishire insisted to CP at the time, however, that she was no “young lady.”
“I was 12 years old. I was a little girl. A very innocent little girl. And he was brought into our home. He and his wife, Debbie, and their little boy, Josh, and trusted and preached at the church that my dad helped start and then began grooming all of us to do this, which took me decades to wrap my brain around as an adult,” she said.
“It went on for many years. He says there was no sexual intercourse, but he did touch every part of my body and inserted his fingers into me, which I understand now is considered a form of rape by instrumentation. I was an innocent 12-year-old little girl who knew nothing about sexual behavior.”
Elders at Gateway Church also initially told CP that Morris was transparent with them about his past and they believed he had been biblically restored to ministry. In their statement announcing his resignation on June 18, 2024, however, the elders said Morris did not reveal that he had abused a 12-year-old girl.
“Regretfully, prior to Friday, June 14, [2024], the elders did not have all the facts of the inappropriate relationship between Morris and the victim, including her age at the time and the length of the abuse. The elders’ prior understanding was that Morris’s extramarital relationship, which he had discussed many times throughout his ministry, was with ‘a young lady’ and not abuse of a 12-year-old child,” the elders explained.
Gateway Church subsequently authorized an independent investigation into the allegations against Morris, and last November, Gateway Elder Tra Willbanks announced that multiple elders were removed from the church as he presented an overview of the four-month internal investigation.
All but three Gateway elders, he said, had some knowledge about Morris' encounter with Clemishire and "failed to inquire further." Some, he said, allegedly knew that Clemishire was a child when she was abused prior to her going public.
"We now know that there were elders and employees at Gateway who knew before June 14, 2024, that Cindy was 12 at the time of the abuse," Willbanks said. "Both groups are fundamentally wrong and simply cannot and will not be tolerated at Gateway Church."
No comments:
Post a Comment