The Life and Times of Bruce Gerencser

Tag: Animal Abuse

  • Black Collar Crime: Catholic Priest Charles Thessing Pleads Guilty to Drowning Kittens — No Jail Time

    charles thessing drowns cats

    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.

    Charles Thessing, a Roman Catholic priest in Little Rock, Arkansas, recently pleaded guilty to animal cruelty.

    Earlier this year, Fox 13 reported:

     A West Memphis priest is under fire after he was arrested and charged Tuesday morning with aggravated animal cruelty.

    This comes after police found the pastor was involved in improper care and treatment of an animal.

    FOX13 learned Father Charles Thessing is the lead priest at St. Michael’s Catholic Church. City officials said Thessing was allegedly involved with drowning cats.

    “The deliberate harming of an animal is 100% unacceptable,” said Kerry Facello, the director of West Memphis Animal Services. Cruel and inhumane were the words she used to describe the charges against Thessing.

    West Memphis Police said they arrested Father Thessing after he allegedly violated local and state animal welfare laws. FOX13 went digging into the Crittenden County jail log. FOX13 found the 63-year-old was charged with aggravated cruelty to animals.

    “It is an ongoing investigation, as you know,” Facello said. “There were cats involved in this situation.”

    Thessing is the priest at Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Crawfordsville, Ark., and St. Michael Catholic Church in West Memphis. St. Michael is also a school that is right next door to the church.

    Facello said her shelter takes animal cruelty cases seriously and this case will now be their top priority.

    “To see someone be actively cruel, to see neglect, to see harm come to them in any way, not only is it heartbreaking and illegal, it makes a statement for how that person lives their life,” said Facello.

    Facello said aggravated animal cruelty is a Class D felony in all 50 states.

    Earlier this week, Thessing pleaded guilty to animal cruelty. He, astoundingly, received NO jail time!

    Fox 13 reports:

     A West Memphis priest pleaded guilty to two counts of cruelty to animals after being arrested in February amid allegations of drowning cats.

    Father Charles Thessing entered his guilty plea on Tuesday and was ordered to pay $3,000 total, including a $530 fine and a $2,250 restitution payment to the West Memphis Animal Shelter.

    However, animal advocacy group In Defense of Animals called the sentence “a slap on the wrist,” saying Thessing would trap and drown cats.

    The Catholic Diocese of Little Rock removed Thessing from his church duties as the case played out.

    KTBS reports:

    At the time he was arrested, he was reportedly serving as the lead priest at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in West Memphis and Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Crawfordsville, Ark. He was removed from his posts while the case was pending.

    According to a publication of the Catholic Church, Thessing has been appointed to begin a new assignment in the Diocese of Shreveport effective Jan. 1. There is no information on what his new assignment will be. He will remain incardinated in the Diocese of Little Rock.

    Bruce Gerencser, 69, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 48 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.

    Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.

    You can email Bruce via the Contact Form.

  • Black Collar Crime: Church of Christ Pastor Jason Swick Accused of Shooting Harmless Cat

    pastor jason swick

    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.

    Jason Swick, pastor of Prineville Church of Christ in Prineville, Oregon, stands accused of trying to kill an innocent, harmless cat. Swick claimed the animal was a feral cat, as if that somehow justifies his violent behavior. He could cared for the cat or taken it in. Instead, he picked up a gun, shot the cat several times, and then threw the injured animal in a dumpster behind the church. Fortunately, the cat survived, but is now blind. By the way, the cat, named Pumpkin, belonged to one of his neighbors.

    KTVZ reports:

    A Prineville church pastor who allegedly shot a neighborhood cat and placed in a church dumpster now faces a first-degree animal abuse charge.

    Swick is accused of shooting a cat named Pumpkin several times at his Prineville home in early September before placing the injured animal in a dumpster at the church.

    The cat survived the shooting but suffered severe facial injuries that left him permanently blind.

    Swick says on his church’s profile page that he is a basketball referee and substitute teacher at Crook County High School. The Prineville Review said state records confirmed he holds an active restricted substitute teaching license.

    KTVZ News earlier worked alongside the Prineville Review to investigate the incident, which sparked a protest at the church. We asked the pastor for comment, to which he did not reply. However, he posted to his Facebook page that he believed the cat was feral and had been attacking his family’s chickens. The post later was deleted, but Swick expressed remorse over what happened.

    Depending on the circumstances, the charge of first-degree animal abuse can be either a Class A misdemeanor or a Class C felony, the Prineville Review reported. If convicted on the misdemeanor-level charge, Swick could be prohibited from owning any animals for up to five years under Oregon law.

    KTVZ also reported:

    A Prineville pastor is facing community backlash after allegations surfaced that he shot a neighborhood cat and placed it in a church dumpster.

    On Tuesday, posts in the “Prineville Information” Facebook group claimed a local pastor shot a cat late Monday night near Bailey Street.

    The cat’s owner said they confronted the pastor after the incident. According to the posts, the pastor said the cat had gotten into a chicken coop, and the injured animal was later moved to a dumpster at the church.

    A group of protesters showed up at the church with signs, condemning the alleged shooting.

    “You can’t go shooting guns in city limits. You’re free to have guns, but, you know, you shouldn’t be going around shooting, you know, bullets can hit somebody or kids or whatever and just do the right thing, you know, like, hey, there’s other ways to get rid of a cat, you know, like scare it off,” said protestor, Matthew Bond.

    Bruce Gerencser, 69, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 48 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.

    Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.

    You can email Bruce via the Contact Form.

  • Black Collar Crime: Methodist Pastor Myron Chorbajian and His Wife Face Numerous Sex Crime Charges

    myron and kathleen chorbajian

    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.

    Myron Chorbajian, pastor of First Southern Methodist Church in Greenville, South Carolina and his wife, Kathleen, face ninety criminal charges, including child sexual abuse and attempted murder.

    WRDW reports:

    New warrants released in the investigation into a Greenville County pastor and his wife reveal more allegations of disturbing abuse.

    In May, Myron Chorbajian and Kathleen Chorbajian were arrested after a victim came forward about abuse that reportedly started in the 1980s. Initial reports from investigators detailed extensive child sexual abuse and animal killings.

    Myron is the pastor of First Southern Methodist Church in Greenville. He and his wife reportedly adopted numerous children over the years.

    The Chorbajians now face a combined 90 charges, including two attempted murder charges against Myron.

    The Greenville County Sheriff’s Office released the new warrants in the case on Thursday, which contain graphic details. Some of the allegations are too disturbing to report.

    The attempted murder charges stem from alleged incidents in the 1990s where, according to his arrest warrants, Myron cut off oxygen to victims by holding them underwater or placing his arms around the victim’s neck.

    The  warrant says Kathleen “allowed her husband to force their children to smoke until they vomited.” A related warrant against Myron says it was “several packs of cigarettes.”

    Myron also forced children to eat trash and feces, other warrants state.

    A warrant says Myron killed a 6-year-old girl’s pet rabbit in front of her with an axe and forced the child to eat the rabbit.

    To “prove the consequence of disobedience,” a warrant says Myron threw a child’s pet kitten into the running engine of a van.

    Myron sexually abused a child on the victim’s 12th birthday, according to a warrant. He’s accused of committing child sex crimes both on his home couch and an office couch of his place of work at the time. During one of the sexual assaults, Myron is accused of restricting a child’s breathing until she passed out.

    Kathleen is accused of handcuffing a child to the bed for days during one instance of abuse detailed in a warrant. She also reportedly slapped and struck children in the face with items causing bleeding.

    A warrant says Myron took a victim to the woods, stripped her naked, and beat her with a stick “leaving long lasting bruises.” Kathleen knew about it, the warrant against her states.

    The Chorbajians were denied bond again during a hearing on Tuesday and remain in the Greenville County Detention Center.

    Bruce Gerencser, 69, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 48 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.

    Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.

    You can email Bruce via the Contact Form.