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.
Barry Fike, a pastor at Fillmore Church of Christ in Fillmore, California, stands accused of four felony counts of sending material to seduce a minor, one felony count of contacting a minor with intent to commit a sexual offense, and one misdemeanor count of arranging a meeting with a minor for lewd purpose.
A Ventura County minister and former teacher was charged Wednesday with multiple felonies related to communicating with a minor in order to have sex.
Barry Fike, a pastor at Fillmore Church of Christ, allegedly thought he was messaging with a 15-year-old girl and even sent this person “explicit photos of himself,” the Ventura County district attorney’s office said in a news release.
The suspect, Fike, was actually communicating with an undercover police officer, the D.A.’s office said. The district attorney’s office didn’t provide specifics but said “the conversations were sexual in nature” and the “chatroom Fike was allegedly communicating in did not have any safety features in place to verify a person’s age or to monitor the communication.”
Fike was arrested Monday.
“There are many chatrooms online that are not moderated or do not take any steps to limit adult contact with minors,” Terrance Dobrosky, the supervising district attorney investigator, wrote in a news release. “All too often, this exposes children to potential exploitation as predators take advantage of the limited oversight.”
Fike has been charged with four felony counts of sending material to seduce a minor, one felony count of contacting a minor with intent to commit a sexual offense, and one misdemeanor count of arranging a meeting with a minor for lewd purpose. The 67-year-old pleaded not guilty Wednesday and was being held in custody with bail set at $150,000, according to the Ventura County district attorney’s office.
A public defender who represented him in court didn’t respond to a request for comment. Fike is due back in court July 27.
The Fillmore resident previously taught at Oaks Christian High School in Westlake Village for nearly 11 years until 2014, according to his LinkedIn page. Cozette Darby, senior administrative officer at Oaks Christian High School, said Fike taught high school English but hasn’t worked at the institution since 2014.
“Many years have passed since Mr. Fike was employed by our school,” Darby wrote in an email.
The Fillmore Gazette describes Fike this way:
Barry Fike, who has served the congregation on an interim basis for three years is now serving as the permanent senior pulpit minister. He has also served congregations in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Illinois, and Simi Valley. He received his education from Freed-Hardeman University, Harding Graduate School of Religion, Valdosta State University, Logos Christian University, and Pepperdine University, Malibu. He recently authored a book on the relationship of Christians and Jewish baptisms, which is currently being published. He comes from a family of ministers with his father, Don Fike, having been a minister for over 50 years. His brothers, Dr. Paul Fike and Byron Fike are ministers in Canton and Houston Texas.
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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Hmm… I wonder why “many years have passed since Mr. Fike was employed by our school.”