Indictment: Tucson church pastor failed
to report child sex-abuse claims
Emily Hamer Lee Enterprises Public Service Journalism Team
and Tim Steller Arizona Daily Star Jul 1, 2025
Editor's note: This story contains descriptions of child sexual abuse.
A Tucson, Arizona, pastor has been charged with failing to report the sexual abuse of two children following an Arizona Daily Star/Lee Enterprises investigation that exposed decades of covering up alleged child-sex crimes within his church community.
Isaac Noriega
Golden Dawn Tabernacle pastor Isaac Noriega, 82, was indicted on two counts of failure to report child abuse or neglect of a minor, one felony count and one misdemeanor, according a copy of the indictment obtained by Lee Enterprises Public Service Journalism Team.
Noriega was arrested and booked into the Pima County Jail Friday. He was released on a signature bond, a signed promise to return to court, according to court records. He faces up to two years in prison for the felony charge and six months for the misdemeanor.
Twenty former members have accused Golden Dawn Tabernacle, which also goes by its formal name Tabernaculo Emanuel, of being a "cult" that isolates its congregants from outsiders — including law enforcement. The former congregants say the environment puts children in harm's way and encourages the cover-up of abuse.
Asked for comment on the criminal case against him, Noriega hung up the phone on a reporter.
"I don’t have nothing to say," Noriega said before ending the call.
Under Arizona law, priests and clergy members must make a report to law enforcement or the Department of Child Safety when they have a “reasonable belief” that a child is the victim of abuse.
Failure to report a "reportable offense" is a felony, while failure to report other instances of abuse or neglect is a misdemeanor. Reportable offenses include child molestation, sexual assault, child sex trafficking, incest, bestiality and most other sex crimes.
The law governing reportable offenses used to treat failure to report as a misdemeanor, said Pima County Attorney Laura Conover.
"The events span a series of years, and at some point during those years, the Legislature upgraded the charge from a misdemeanor to a felony," Conover said.
It was the late 1980s, Thorstad said, when she was sexually assaulted. Thorstad said a 14-year-old Golden Dawn congregant raped her at his home when she was just 7 years old.
Her mother found her bloodied underwear after the incident, but Thorstad said she stayed silent about who abused her for years.
Thorstad said she finally shared her allegations in a counseling session with Noriega and her mother when she was 16. She said it seemed like Noriega already knew about her abuse.
Noriega told her she wasn't the first person to come to the church about the teenage boy "being inappropriate with girls," but that since the teenager had left the church, "we're not going to concern ourselves with him," Thorstad recalled.
“The fact that he was just like, ‘Oh yeah, you’re not the first one,’ ” Thorstad said. “Then why aren’t you doing anything about it? You absolutely can report it … but you’re not. You’re choosing not to, in my eyes. If you know about it, and you know it’s happened to multiple people, you’re making the conscious decision to ignore it.”
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Noriega's second count relates to Thorstad
B.C. private schools again named in child sex abuse lawsuit
One of B.C.’s most prestigious private schools has been named as a defendant in a B.C. Supreme Court lawsuit alleging teacher sexual abuse of a Grade 7 student more than 40 years ago.
The claim by a plaintiff Glacier Media has chosen to identify as A.B. names as defendants: Raymond Thomas Clavin, St. George’s School, Vancouver College Limited (VCL), now-dead Father John Kilty and the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Vancouver, A Corporation sole (RCAV).
The claim is the second such case naming the defendants. A previous claim was filed in April.
It’s one St. George’s headmaster David Young addressed in a notice to the school community June 16.
“We have been saddened to learn of one additional allegation of abuse from around 40 years ago. This is deeply upsetting, and we are approaching the allegations with the utmost seriousness, care, and compassion,” Young said.
The new claim
The new notice of civil claim, filed June 2 by lawyer Sandra Kovacs, alleges Clavin groomed and sexually abused A.B., now in his late 40s, when he was at St. George’s in or around 1988-1991.
The suit said Clavin is now retired and was last known to be living in Ireland. Kilty died June 15, 1983.
The claim said Clavin was a physical education teacher or sports coach at Holy Trinity Elementary School and Parish in North Vancouver, where he sexually abused vulnerable boys while under the supervision of Kilty, then the parish priest from 1974-1975.
It further said that, between 1975 and 1984, Clavin was employed as a teacher at Vancouver College.
The claim asserted Clavin continued to coach at the college until or about 1989.
“Clavin sexually abused vulnerable Vancouver College students while under the supervision of educators, coaches, staff and administrators in the employ of and or in service to both VCL and RCAV,” the claim alleged.
Then, the claim said, in or around 1985, Clavin was hired as a teacher and coach at St. George’s.
“In 1994, Clavin pleaded guilty and was convicted of two counts of sexual assault and one count of indecent assault related to the sexual abuse of three adolescent boys who were students at Vancouver College,” the claim said.
The allegations
The claim alleges Clavin befriended the boy’s family, acted as a replacement father and began isolating him before the alleged sexual abuse began.
“The grooming was a deliberate process of manipulation to gain access to the plaintiff, lower the plaintiff’s inhibitions, erode the plaintiff’s physical boundaries and create a relationship wherein he could coerce and later sexually assault and batter the plaintiff and secure the plaintiff’s loyalty and silence,” the claim said.
The suit claimed Clavin’s alleged behaviour was habitual.
The suit claims negligence by the school, the archdiocese and the college.
None of the allegations have been proven in court.
Headmaster’s message
Young said in his message to the school community that St. George’s School believes anyone who has experienced abuse deserves to be heard and treated with dignity, respect, integrity and empathy.
“We remain committed to addressing each allegation thoughtfully, guided by our values and professional counsel,” he said. “Whenever possible, I’m committed to sharing relevant updates with our community.
“At times, legal and privacy considerations will limit what can be shared and when, and I appreciate your understanding and patience as we navigate these complex matters with care,” Young said.
He said the school has a commitment to safety, trust and the school’s values.
“Together with our families, we work every day to create a school environment where every student feels supported, protected, and known,” he said. “This is our collective responsibility, and we do not take it lightly.”
Archdiocese response
Spokesperson Matthew Furtado told Lodestar Media that the archdiocese “extends heartfelt sympathy” to all who have suffered the pain and trauma of abuse.
“We remain firmly committed to supporting survivors and walking with them on the path toward healing,” Furtado said.
As the matter is before the courts, Furtado said the archdiocese is unable to comment on specific details.
“We hope that anyone who has experienced abuse will feel encouraged to come forward and access the care, support, and healing available to them,” he said.
Damages sought
The claim said A.B. has suffered moral injury, substance abuse, depressive symptoms, behavioural defiance, anxiety, diminished capacity to emotionally regulate, distorted thinking, intrusive memories, sleep disturbances and other issues.
The suit seeks non-pecuniary and aggravated damages, punitive damages, and awards for loss of past and future earning capacity. It also seeks special damages and costs of future care.
Colorado Megachurch Ousts 2 More Pastors as Scandal Concerning the Cover-Up of Robert Morris’s Child Sex Abuse Continues
By Julie Roys and Mark A. Kellner
Embattled Colorado Springs megachurch New Life Church has ousted two more pastors who reportedly knew in 2007 that Robert Morris, founder of Dallas-based Gateway Church, had sexually molested a 12-year-old in the 1980s.
The news that executive pastors Lance Coles and Brian Newberg had resigned was included in a “Frequently Asked Questions” document, or FAQ, distributed by New Life leaders to church members at a “family meeting” Saturday morning. The document, which was printed and not available online, was posted on Facebook by a New Life congregant, and also obtained independently by The Roys Report (TRR).
Coles’ and Newberg’s resignations follow the forced resignation of New Life Senior Pastor Brady Boyd. In a statement to the congregation on June 20, the elders said they did not believe Boyd’s earlier claim that he did not know about Morris’s child abuse until 2024.
Morris resigned from Gateway last year and was removed as a New Life overseer, when allegations that he had molested Cindy Clemishire, from the time she was 12 to 16 years old, became public. Morris now faces five counts of child sex abuse charges in Oklahoma.
According to the FAQ document, both Coles and Newberg were informed of Morris’s sex abuse by Clemishire’s sister in 2007, when the men served on New Life’s pastoral search committee.
The two pastors “raised concerns” about Morris becoming involved with New Life. But Boyd, who was hired in August 2007, “dismissed their concerns and appointed Robert Morris to be an overseer at New Life and began inviting Morris to preach,” the FAQ stated. Prior to coming to New Life, Boyd served as associate senior pastor at Gateway Church, under Morris.
The FAQ also stated that “meeting notes and email records confirmed that the search committee met with Brady specifically to discuss the accusations made by Ms. Clemishire’s sister and then dialogued with him for weeks about the issue.”
Yet, on June 8, prior to his resignation, Boyd swore to the congregation that he “would never ever put a known pedophile in a place of authority in this church. Never, would I ever do that to you—ever!”
Was this a play on words by Brady? Technically, Morris is not a pedophile but a pederast. Pedophiles seek prepubescent children, pederasts pubescent children which Clemishire probably was at 12.
The FAQ stated that Boyd’s apparently false statements broke trust with the elders and that’s why they asked him to resign. It added, “Brady has not apologized nor is he repentant for what we think constituted lying to New Life Church, or for failing to disclose to the Elders whatever knowledge he had about Robert Morris . . .”
The document also stated that the elders at New Life believe Boyd “made a series of mistakes that disqualify him from serving as Senior Pastor of New Life.”
In contrast, the document said Coles and Newberg were “repentant, sorrowful, and humble” about their role in allowing Morris to become an overseer at New Life. Yet, because the men failed to act on the knowledge they had in 2007, they were asked to resign, as well.
“Brian and Lance had a responsibility to bring their concerns—and the reasons behind them—directly to the Board of Elders,” the FAQ stated. “They did not do so then or afterward, so we likewise requested that Brian and Lance resign.”
There's more to this story from JulieRoys at:
Boyd suggests his innocence
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