Gainesville pastor arrested for failing to report child sex abuse
Mark Vega allegedly knew of several sexual assault instances involving church members
The 55-year-old head pastor at Gainesville church Ignite Life Center was arrested Nov. 24 after allegedly failing to report child sex abuse within the church and trying to prevent others from reporting it, as originally reported by The Gainesville Sun.
He pleaded not guilty to the felony charge, and his next court date is set for Jan. 12.
The first incident happened in 2019, when the church’s school ministry was traveling to Kentucky by bus on official church business, according to the sworn complaint that led to his arrest.
During the bus ride, 26-year-old ministry student Gabriel Hemenez sexually assaulted a 22-year-old student as he slept, according to the complaint.
The victim reported the incident to church leadership, and when they got back to Gainesville, several meetings took place, according to the complaint. Hemenez said the interaction was consensual during one of these meetings where the victim was present.
However, in 2023, Hemenez admitted he told church leadership after the bus ride that it was not consensual, the complaint noted.
The victim left the school of ministry when Hemenez was allowed to stay and “appeared to not have been disciplined in any way,” according to the complaint.
Vega told the victim he would take care of the issue, the complaint said, but he never reported it.
In 2021, Hemenez, then 28 years old, served as an adult leader at the church’s annual summer camp. In this role, he slept in the bunk-bed filled rooms on church property with children attending the camp, the complaint noted.
The complaint alleges the same church leaders Hemenez confessed to about the bus incident, including Vega, participated in the planning of the camp and Hemenez’s role in it.
The complaint also noted Hemenez was routinely left alone in the room with 25 to 30 sleeping boys.
Hemenez sexually assaulted a 16-year-old boy in the bunk room, according to the complaint.
He allegedly sneaked vapes into the camp to give to his victims as part of the “grooming process,” the complaint said.
In October 2022, the 16-year-old boy told his brother, Nicholas Bruce, who was a leader in the church and cousin of Hemenez’s first victim, about the incident. Bruce told Vega about the incident and believed Vega would properly handle the reporting, according to the complaint.
Bruce learned of several more victims from his brother in December, leading him to call Vega again. He now knew of five victims who were sexually assaulted by Hemenez. During this call, Bruce found out Vega had never reported the original incident.
Vega then told Bruce he should investigate the incidents himself and make a report “as he sees fit,” according to the complaint. In 2023, Bruce made a report to the Gainesville Police Department naming Hemenez as an offender.
At this time, Hemenez was involved at a church in Orlando with “unrestricted access to children,” the complaint said.
A 13-year-old girl and attendant of the 2021 camp told GPD detectives she had heard about Hemenez’s behavior, saying, “We knew he was sleeping inside their bed.”
This was said while she was being interviewed during an investigation into Vega’s 17-year-old son, Christian Vargas, who was being accused of sexual abuse as well.
Vargas began sending the 13-year-old girl messages in 2021, which turned into him pressuring her to sleep with him, the complaint said.
The two eventually met in an isolated area known as “the furnace” on the church’s property to have intercourse, according to the complaint. This area was allegedly well-known to church leaders as an area where kids would engage in sexual activities.
Two other female teenagers in the church said Vargas did the same to them.
Noel Cruz, the 20-year-old son of another head pastor at Ignite Church, also had intercourse with one of the teens, according to the complaint.
When the girl’s parents found out about the relationship between her and the sons of two prominent church leaders, they went to Vega to talk about it.
During a meeting with the three families, Cruz’s, Vargas’ and the victim's, Vega said they all needed to forgive each other, according to the complaint. Cruz and Vargas continued to harass the victim since they believed she had told her parents about them, leading to a second meeting with Vega.
At the second meeting, Vega allegedly told them the victim needed restoring and assigned one-on-one time with him and time with two female mentors. This stopped when Vega found out the victim was cooperating with GPD’s investigation into Cruz and Vargas, the complaint said.
Vargas was arrested for the sexual abuse of two girls in July 2023. Cruz was arrested for the abuse of one in February 2024, according to court documents.
Most of this abuse occurred in the area known as “the furnace” on Ignite property. Surveillance footage in 2021 showed Vargas climbing up to turn the camera away from this area, but nothing was done with the information, the complaint noted.
Once Bruce filed the report about Hemenez, he was arrested for the sexual abuse of five children during the 2021 summer camp in July 2023. He was found guilty of molestation of a person older than 12 but younger than 16, a second degree felony, in March 2024, according to court documents.
Hemenez was sentenced to five years in prison followed by eight years of probation, according to his court documents. He must also register as a sex offender.
Contact Alexa Ryan at aryan@alligator.org. Follow her on X @AlexaRyan_.
Former Pastor Already Accused of Abuse Now Booked on More Child Sex Crime Charges
Editor’s note: This article refers to reports of child sex abuse that some readers might find triggering and/or disturbing.
When Solarte was initially arrested, the Sanford Police Department said that police began an investigation after responding to a report of “an inappropriate relationship between Solarte and two juvenile victims.”
RELATED: Volunteer Youth Pastor Accused of Sexually Assaulting Teen at Church
“During the investigation it was determined Solarte…did create or attempt to create an inappropriate relationship with the victims, did inappropriately touch the victims, and sexually assaulted one of the victims,” the Sanford Police Department said.
The abuse is alleged to have occurred in Solarte’s office at the church. He is accused of “forcefully” grabbing the face of one child to kiss her and molesting her in his office.
The child also alleged that Solarte told her during the assault that “we only live once” and that he and the victim were now “a couple.”
“Following these allegations, Solarte was removed from his role as Pastor. Both victims were members of Ipul Pentecostal Church,” the Sanford Police Department said. “As a result of the investigation, Sanford Police Investigators issued a warrant for Solarte’s arrest.”
On Nov. 21, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office (VSO) released a statement saying that Solarte had been arrested for additional charges related to child sex crimes he allegedly committed at his home.
RELATED: Assemblies of God Accused of Systemic Failure To Address Clergy Sex Abuse; Pastors Call for Reform
In addition to the previous charges of sexual battery and lewd and lascivious molestation, Solarte now faces five counts of sexual battery on a victim under the age of 18.
No comments:
Post a Comment