The Black Collar Crime Series relies on public news stories and publicly available information for its content. If any incorrect information is found, please contact Bruce Gerencser. Nothing in this post should be construed as an accusation of guilt. Those accused of crimes are innocent until proven guilty.
Alexander Roesly, youth pastor at Praise Chapel Church of God in Union City, Indiana, has been charged with one count of child solicitation.
A youth pastor in Randolph County has been accused of using Snapchat to send juveniles sexual messages.
In the messages, the sheriff’s department says 19-year-old Alexander Roy Roesly asked a 13-year-old girl and a 15-year-old girl if they wanted to become “friends with benefits.”
Deputies say Roesly is a youth pastor at the Chapel Church of God in the northeast side of the county. The 15-year-old girl was reportedly an attendee of the church.
The sheriff’s department says it began investigating on July 5 and interviewed Roesly on July 19. During the interview, the department says Roesly “admitted that he was the person who had sent the messages to the juveniles.”
Roesly was charged with one count of child solicitation as a level 5 felony for the messages sent to the 13-year-old girl. In Indiana, a person must be over 21 years of age for the child solicitation charge to apply to messages sent to a 15-year-old.
Roesly was booked into the Randolph County Jail and held on a $8,000 bond.
In 2018, Roesly pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a one-year suspended sentence and one year of probation.
Bruce Gerencser, 66, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 45 years. He and his wife have six grown children and thirteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
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On behalf of Praise Chapel Church he was not a Youth Pastor. Alex was the son of the Church’s Pastor and was studying to be a Youth Pastor. You people need to do your home work instead of making a whole church look bad !
Take your objection up with the referenced newspaper. If you have an official statement from the church that states otherwise, I will be glad to add it to this post.
And are you saying that Roesly was not, nor had he ever, worked with or helped church youths? If that’s your contention, please provide an official statement from the church that documents your assertion.
Wow, Joe, this a huge point! But as afar as points go, you really miss a sharp one and then you try to speak to denial? Next you will tell me that the Praise Chapel Church is just great and only has one, pastor-son problem? Do you imagine somehow that not addressing the real issue makes Praise Chapel Church shine in wonderful light? You might consider visiting here with a more open view, a question or two about the shock or dismay with this reality in your midst…. Or do you really believe just one guy is the whole trouble now? Are you under the illusion that your church bunch are not simple bipeds who live out their damaged views anywhwere they go, including chapel?
Protect first not the Church, saith the atheist; protect your children…