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.
William Jones, pastor of Jessup Baptist Church in Jessup, Maryland, stands accused of sexually molesting several students at Elvaton Christian Academy.
A former teacher and pastor in Maryland was ordered to be held without bond Monday after he was accused of sexually abusing students, according to court officials.
William Auburn Jones, 58, was arrested on Friday, July 25, after police said he touched multiple students inappropriately while he was working at Elvaton Christian Academy in Anne Arundel County. Jones worked at the school between 2020 and March 2025 before he was removed from his position.
According to police, Jones also serves as the pastor of Jessup Baptist Church and is affiliated with Mission Fields International, a global missionary organization.
“To find out he’s a minister, that is shocking,” neighbor Charles Thomas said. “You hear of this happening in other places but not across the street.”
Police responded to the school on May 1 for a reported sex offense. Once they arrived, a parent told them that their child was involved.
Through an investigation, Child Protective Services identified five alleged victims who were between the ages of 10 and 15. The investigation also revealed that the alleged abuse occurred between August 2023 and May 2024, according to court documents.
The court documents detailed how a 12-year-old told police that Jones abused him during the third through sixth grades. A 10-year-old student also told police that Jones touched him inappropriately in school, according to court documents.
Three other students also reported that they were abused and inappropriately touched by Jones, court documents show.
“While we were there, we became aware of a second, similar case with similar circumstances reported to us by another parent,” said Justin Mulcahy, a spokesperson for the Anne Arundel County Police.
Jones is facing several charges of sexual abuse of a minor, assault, and sex offenses.
Elvaton Christian Academy said it is cooperating with law enforcement during the investigation into Jones.
Child Protective Services began investigating the alleged abuse and conducting forensic interviews. Investigators ultimately identified five alleged victims between the ages of 10 and 15.
On May 15, a 10-year-old, identified in charging documents as Victim A, told police that Jones, known to students as “Mr. Bill,” touched him inappropriately in the computer lab when the student was in fourth grade. The alleged abuse started in Aug. 2023 and ended in May 2024.
A 12-year-old student, referred to as Victim B, told police that Jones abused him from third through sixth grade.
Three other students also reported alleged abuse to police, detailing accounts of inappropriate touching by Jones.
Bruce Gerencser, 68, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 47 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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