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.
Craig Daugherty, educated at Dallas Theological Seminary — an Evangelical institution — and director of religious education for the U.S. Army at Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks, Alaska, stands accused of two counts of second-degree sexual abuse of a minor.
State prosecutors have charged the director of religious education for the U.S. Army at Fort Wainwright with having repeated sexual contact with a minor under 13 years of age at his home.
Craig Lasley Daugherty, 58, was charged Wednesday with two counts of second-degree sexual abuse of a minor.
An affidavit signed by Investigator Al Bell says Alaska State Troopers “received a report” of the abuse on Tuesday. The same day, charging documents say the minor told a forensic interviewer that Daugherty directed them to make skin-to-skin contact with Daugherty’s genitalia during the week of Nov. 18.
The child also reportedly told interviewers the abuse had been going on since 2021, but the two counts on the indictment only list dates for 2024 incidents.
When interviewed, Daugherty recounted two instances of sexual contact and said the child had initiated it, according to the charging documents.
In the report, Daugherty told investigators the child pulled down his (Daugherty’s) shorts and “swiped and grabbed at his [genitalia],” and added he should have told the child’s father about it a while ago.
The documents say the investigation revealed Daugherty serves as a “local youth pastor,” and a resume posted on Daugherty’s LinkedIn page shows he’s been the director of religious education since Dec. 2020.
A resume shared on LinkedIn shows Daugherty also has professional experience in retail and finance. Beginning in 2014, he worked as a retail trainer at Stripes Convenience Stores in Lubbock, Texas.
Before that, Daugherty held a variety of positions in Texas and Europe — in schools and the military — with most of the jobs relating to education or youth ministry, according to the resume. His resume also states that he received his Master of Arts in Christian Education from Dallas Theological Seminary in 1996.
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Daugherty’s case was assigned to Fairbanks Superior Court Judge Kirk Schwalm. He was arraigned Wednesday afternoon and remanded to Fairbanks Correctional Center.
A bail order says Daugherty is being held in custody under a $300,000 appearance bond and $250,000 performance bond.
Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen 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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“ In the report, Daugherty told investigators the child pulled down his (Daugherty’s) shorts and “swiped and grabbed at his [genitalia],” and added he should have told the child’s father about it a while ago.”
Yep- typical child victim sex offender answer. “It’s not my fault, I’m the actual victim here”. Disgusting. Makes one wonder what he was teaching the soldiers at Ft. Wainright.