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.
Ryan Denzer-Johnson, a youth leader at an unnamed church (possibly the Evangelical Free Church) and a school teacher in Embarass, Minnesota, stands accused of sexually assaulting a child.
The Grand Forks Herald reports:
An Embarrass, Minnesota, man who has served as a teacher and church leader is accused of sexually assaulting a child.
Ryan Ross Denzer-Johnson, 43, was charged Monday, Aug. 18, with three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct against a child under the age of 14.
Denzer-Johnson has worked as a math teacher at Mesabi East Schools in Aurora and Northeast Range School in Babbitt in recent years, according to public records, but is no longer employed at either.
Prosecutors said he has also recently served in youth ministry and on the advisory board at an unspecified church.
The alleged victim is known to Denzer-Johnson, and the incidents are unrelated to either his work or volunteer roles.
A criminal complaint says the girl participated in a forensic interview last week. She recalled a period around March 2023 during which she said Denzer-Johnson would sexually touch her, sometimes multiple times a day.
The girl also recalled a similar incident at a later date, with the complaint alleging the conduct occurred at any point up until July 2024.
Denzer-Johnson also allegedly admitted to his wife earlier this month that he had sexually assaulted the girl “two years ago, and it ended one year ago,” the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office learned.
The complaint says Denzer-Johnson was interviewed Thursday and admitted to repeatedly touching the child. He allegedly recalled three specific incidents but stated, “I can’t tell you that that never happened other times.”
Denzer-Johnson additionally told law enforcement that he “can’t guarantee that there wasn’t like some grooming before (because) there probably was,” according to a memorandum from St. Louis County prosecutor Amber Pederson.
He allegedly described having prior concerns that he could sexually harm girls.
“Despite being aware for some time that he was prone to sexually assault minor females, (the) defendant put himself in positions with access to minor females,” Peterson told the court.
Judge Bhupesh Pattni granted the prosecutor’s request to set unconditional bail at $300,000, or $100,000 with several pretrial release conditions.
Denzer-Johnson has been a licensed math teacher for grades 5-12 in Minnesota since 2014, according to state records.
He resigned from Northeast Range in 2023 to join Mesabi East, and has also been involved in leading robotics programs at both Iron Range schools.
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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What good are youth leaders anyway? Aren’t the pastors and maybe elders actually the leaders in churches? How was this position invented and when?