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.
Neal Creecy, pastor of Redemption Church in Las Vegas, Nevada, stands accused of luring or attempting to lure a child or mentally ill person with the use of computer technology to engage in sexual conduct.
Police and federal officials arrested a Las Vegas pastor as he prepared to meet a person he believed was a teenage boy for sex, according to documents the 8 News Now Investigators obtained Monday.
Neal Creecy, 46, faces a charge of luring or attempting to lure a child or mentally ill person with the use of computer technology to engage in sexual conduct, records said.
Throughout August, the Nevada Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, along with the FBI and several Southern Nevada police departments, arrested at least eight men as part of a sting operation.
For the past five years, Creecy has rented space inside The Good Samaritan Lutheran Church on Sahara and Cimarron, where he operates his religious organization, Redemption Church, church leaders said.
On Thursday, Aug. 7, Creecy allegedly chatted with a person posing as a 14-year-old boy about meeting for “sexual contact,” police said. Creecy did not provide any images during the conversation but agreed to meet who he thought was a teenager at a “predetermined meeting location,” police said.
Creecy allegedly then drove to that location, leading to his arrest, police said.
Police recovered an iPad from Creecy, which they said was the device he used in the online conversation, documents said.
During an interview with police, Creecy “admitted to having been involved in the conversation with the decoy… and made the utterance, ‘I’m so sorry,’” documents said.
Creecy posted bond shortly after his arrest and was due to return to court on Sept. 2.
W. Don Seaborg, president of pastoral support for Redemption Church, said last week that Creecy is not affiliated with The Good Samaritan Church and only rents space.
Creecy’s Audible bio states:
Neal is the Senior Pastor of Redemption Church, a church plant started in October of 2018. Neal has been involved with pastoral ministries and church planting both in the United States and internationally for almost thirty years. He is Co-Founder and Vice President of Global Church Planting Partners, an organization that is involved in both theological training and church planting globally. He has also taught in various seminaries in the United States and around the world. Neal holds an MDiv and a Ph.D. in Missiology from Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary.
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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Disgusting prison rape porn, posted by a born again Christian, deleted.
Bruce your Black Collar crime series is a shocking reminder as to the magnitude of sexual predatory behavior of adults on children. It is particularly disturbing that these individuals flock to religious institutions and ministries as a “cover” for such behavior.
I happen to believe these people are “drawn” to the “church” because it puts them in positions of power and control, where they think they are shielded from retribution by their positions of power and can indulge in such
behavior.
Thankfully law enforcement and church attendee’s seem more inclined to prosecute these persons now rather than “shield them” as in the past. At least that is my impression, I have not studied the actual statistics or case studies.
I do suspect, as in life outside religion, the more “powerful” and popular the perverts are, the harder it is to bring them under the jurisdiction of the legal system. One needs to look no further than the Presidency for an example of that. Particularly the pervert currently holding the office.