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Black Collar Crime: Baptist Church Treasurer Ernest Reddick Sentenced to One Year in Jail for Defrauding Church

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lisburn baptist church

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.

Ernest Reddick, the treasurer of Lisburn Baptist Church in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, was sentenced to one year in prison for stealing £410,000 from the church.

The BBC reports:

A 60-year-old man has been jailed for a year after he admitted defrauding a church of £410,000. 

Ernest Reddick of Diamond Road in Dromore, County Down, pleaded guilty to 12 counts of fraud by false representation and one of false accounting.

Detectives said donations from the congregation of Lisburn Baptist Church were being used to “prop up” Reddick’s accountancy business.

At Craigavon Crown Court on Thursday he was given a two-year sentence, half of which will be spent in prison and half on licence.

Det Insp McCarten said police were contacted by a pastor from the church in November 2021. 

The pastor said that a member of his congregation had admitted to taking money from the church bank accounts and making false accounts to disguise it.

The police investigation found Reddick had been acting as a treasurer for the church since 2012 and had used his position of trust to create a “web of false transactions”.

An earlier hearing heard that Reddick, a director with CMC Accountants in Lisburn, “destroyed, defaced, concealed or falsified” a certain account record which had been “made or required for an accounting purpose”.

The investigation found that Reddick later paid back the money in full, but Det Insp McCarten said “the impact of his offending on those who put their faith in him” should not be underestimated.

Reddick committed the offences between 1 January 2012 and 30 November 2021.

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.

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: IFB Pastor Daniel Champ Accused of Stealing $135,000 From Church

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preachers and money 2

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.

Daniel Champ, pastor of First Baptist Church in Bel Air, Maryland, stands accused of stealing $135,000 from the church. First Baptist is an Independent Fundamentalist Baptist (IFB) congregation.

The Christian Post reports:

A Maryland pastor has been charged with stealing approximately $135,000 from his church, with him allegedly using the funds on sports betting and food deliveries.

Daniel Champ, 42, is charged with theft of over $135,000 and embezzlement from First Baptist Church of Harford County, CBS News affiliate WJZ-TV reported last week.

According to authorities, Champ is slated for a court appearance later this month and has been removed from the church’s account. He has also been ordered to leave his residence on the church’s property.

One congregant spoke to WJZ under the condition of anonymity, expressing disappointment with a reported lack of transparency on the part of church leadership.

“I was very disappointed that they didn’t come out honestly and tell us what was happening, why they weren’t forthcoming and honest,” said the church member.

“Because money goes to that church, that’s the people’s money. And why weren’t they honest? Why didn’t they just tell people? … I think they need to come clean and be honest with the people. I think the people need to know.”

Champ was charged early last month, according to court documents, with the Maryland resident posting a $15,000 unsecured personal bond on April 11.

The pastor is accused of having stolen the money from around January 2019 until last October, when church officials noticed that there were dubious bank charges and missing funds.

According to investigators, Champ used the stolen money for various personal expenses, including sports betting, food deliveries via DoorDash, and PayPal.

Based on the church’s Facebook page, the last Sunday sermon Champ gave at First Baptist was on Sept. 8, noted The Roys Report, with the church’s website presently being down.

During his message, Champ preached about 1 Thessalonians 2, which warns against preaching the Gospel with “a cloak of covetousness” or giving an exhortation that is “of deceit.”

When discussing the biblical passage last September, Champ talked about preachers who are proclaiming the Gospel “for monetary gain, for some kind of gain for ourselves.”

“They’ll come, and they’ll preach to you, and even though some of what they say is truth, they’re doing it out of the wrong heart,” he said.

“They’re not doing it sincerely because they care about your soul. They’re doing it because the more people they get on their side, the more money they make.”

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.

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: Evangelical Pastor James Henry Sentenced to 110 Years in Prison for Child Porn Possession

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pastor james henry

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.

James Henry, pastor of Crossroads Assembly of God Church in Delight, Arkansas and a foster parent to over 70 children, pleaded guilty to 11 counts of possessing child sexual abuse material and was sentenced to 110 years in prison.

ABC-7 reports:

An Arkansas pastor has been sentenced to 110 years in prison after he plead guilty 11 counts of possessing child sexual abuse material.

The pastor, James Vincent Henry, received 10 years per count, which he will serve consecutively for a total of 110 years.

….

A warrant for Henry’s arrest was issued on October 14, 2024, after two cyber tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children were made regarding Henry’s activity on the social messaging platforms Snapchat and Kik.

Henry was subsequently arrested on October 15, 2024, by deputies with the Pike County Sheriff’s Office. 

The pastor, who worked at the Crossroads Assembly of God Church in Delight, Arkansas, originally faced 100 counts of Possession, Viewing, and Distribution of Child Pornography.

Church Leaders adds:

James Vincent Henry, pastor of Crossroads Assembly of God in Delight, Arkansas, has been charged with 100 counts of possessing, viewing, and distributing child sexual abuse material.

According to the church’s website, the 43-year-old pastor has been married to his wife Brittney for 12 years, and the couple has three children.

Henry’s wife is also listed as a pastor of Crossroads Assembly of God.

Before becoming pastor of Crossroads Assembly of God, Henry served as a youth pastor at four different churches: Lacey Assembly of God, McGehee First Assembly of God, Mountain Pine First Assembly of God, and Newsong Church in Centerton, Arkansas.

An Arkansas State Police (ASP) Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigation led to the arrest yesterday (Oct. 15) of James Vincent Henry, 43, of Delight, for 100 counts of crimes related to the possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM),” ASP said in a statement. “Henry is the pastor of [a] church in Delight.”

ASP reported that on Wednesday, Sept. 25, “Special Agents with the ASP ICAC Task Force executed a search warrant in Delight in reference to two cyber tips from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children made through the online messaging applications Snapchat and Kik.”

Agents then reviewed “digital evidence” before obtaining an arrest warrant on Monday (Oct. 14). Pike County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Henry less than 24 hours later.

Henry has been charged with “100 counts of Possession, Viewing, and Distribution of Child Pornography (CSAM).”

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.

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: Youth Pastor Benjamin Felix Guerra Accused of Child Rape

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busted

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.

Benjamin Felix Guerra, a youth pastor at an unnamed church in Outlook, Washington, stands accused of child rape.

The Yakima Herald-Republic reports:

Prosecutors charged an Outlook youth pastor with raping a teenage girl he knew.

In addition to five charges each of second-degree rape and third-degree child molestation, Benjamin Felix Guerra, 32, was also charged with three counts of third-degree child rape and a single count of communicating with a minor for immoral purposes, according to a six-page charging document filed in Yakima County Superior Court Monday.

Guerra, who is out of custody after posting $10,000 bail, is scheduled to be arraigned on the charges April 24.

A woman called the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office in late March saying that Guerra had inappropriately touched her 15-year-old daughter, who was part of a youth group Guerra was leading, according to a probable cause affidavit filed by a sheriff’s detective.

The Yakima Herald-Republic typically does not identify sexual assault victims without their consent.

Sheriff’s spokesman Casey Schilperoort said the report did not identify the church where Guerra served.

In an interview at the county’s Children Advocacy Center, the girl described several incidents where Guerra raped and molested her on multiple occasions, the affidavit said. While at a fast-food restaurant with Guerra and members of the youth group, Guerra, she said, wrote a note on his cellphone asking her to prepare for sex with him and telling her to be quiet about what they were doing.

Guerra was arrested at his home in the 2800 block of Gurley Road April 9 and booked into the Yakima County jail.

While a pretrial evaluation recommended releasing Guerra on court supervision, Judge Jeffery Swan ordered Guerra held in lieu of $10,000 bail and, if he posted bail, to maintain weekly phone contact with court staff and report in person twice a week, as well as receive text messages reminding him of further court dates.

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.

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: Evangelical Pastor Gregory Jones Accused of Sex Trafficking

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pastor gregory jones

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.

Gregory Jones, pastor of Liberty Christian Fellowship in Mountain Home, Idaho, stands accused of sex trafficking.

Channel 2 reports:

New information is coming to light about a Mountain Home man who was arrested over the weekend on charges of sex trafficking. 

Gregory Jones was arrested in Mountain Home on April 25 and charged with penetration with a foreign object and sex trafficking. Tips received from community members led CBS2 to uncover that Gregory Jones is the pastor of Liberty Christian Fellowship church in Mountain Home and was the operations director at NXT Dream Center Daycare. Jones can be seen preaching as recently as April 13 via Facebook live stream. 

According to a 2013 article in the Mountain Home News, Gregory Jones, a Major in the Idaho Air National Guard at the time, was named Person of the Year during the 24th Annual Black History Banquet. 

The Elmore County Sheriff’s Office noted in a public release that the arrest of Gregory Jones was largely made possible due to brave victims and witnesses who have come forward, providing crucial evidence in the case. The Sheriff’s office is concerned that there are more victims out there. Anyone with information related to this case, or who believes they may have been a victim, is encouraged to contact the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office at (208) 587-2100.

The Root adds:

Gregory Wayne Jones was well-respected in his community of Mountain Home, Idaho. His work as a director of operations at a daycare and as a pastor made Jones a trusted civilian in the area. That is until he was arrested on heinous accusations.

The investigation into Jones began on January 31, 2025, according to a statement by the Elmore County Sheriff. It was then that multiple alleged victims came forward and provided “critical evidence” for the case against Jones. It’s unclear exactly how many victims have come forward at this point in the investigation.

The pastor was taken into custody on Friday (April 25) and charged with Sexual penetration with a foreign object and Human sex trafficking, according to reports. He is being held at the Elmore County Detention Center in Idaho. 

Jones previously worked at NXT Dream Center, which describes itself as “a non-profit 501(c)(3) Community Development Corporation (CDC)” providing community support for veterans, seniors and youth. Jones was listed as the Director of Operations for at NXT. 

After news of Jones’ arrest broke, community members came forward to express their shock. “I am disgusted. I’m angry,” Kerstyn Tracy, a parent at NXT told Idaho News 6. “And [I’m] very distrusting of not only the sheriff’s department at this point but daycare facilities in general,” she continued.

According to Tracy, NXT never informed the parents or greater NXT community of Jones’ arrest. Instead, she had to find out through her Facebook friends. “They have yet to put out a statement or address any communication, email, text, phone call, in person,” Tracy said.

She went on to say she knew Jones, and he worked closely with the kids at the daycare facility. “They [NXT] were aware that he’s being investigated for sex crimes. And I feel like that is a possibility of a danger to our children. And I am very upset about that,” she added.

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.

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: Southern Baptist Pastor Shane Wiggins Accused of Raping a Child

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pastor Shane Wiggins

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.

Shane Wiggins, pastor of Baldwin Baptist Mission Church in Baldwin, Louisiana, stands accused of child rape and molestation.

The Baptist Press reports:

Shane Wiggins, pastor of Baldwin Baptist Mission Church, Baldwin, Louisiana, was arrested April 9 on charges of rape and molestation.

Wiggins has been with the Baldwin congregation, a mission of Little Pass Baptist Church in Charenton, La., since March 2015.

According to the police department of Morgan City, La., Wiggins was arrested in Paris, Texas, and faces extradition.

The Morgan City Police Department (MCPD) reported via Facebook April 9 that Wiggins has been under investigation since December of last year when a mother filed a complaint accusing Wiggins of inappropriate behavior with her child. Recently, unable to contact Wiggins at his residence or by phone, MCPD detectives suspected he had left the state. Police did not report why they believed Wiggins was in Paris, Texas, but that was where they focused their search in collaboration with the Lamar County Sheriff’s and Paris Police departments. Wiggins was arrested while driving in Paris and is now detained in the Lamar County Jail in Paris.

In an email to the Baptist Message, Chris Holloway, senior pastor of Little Pass Baptist Church, said that Wiggins had abandoned the Baldwin congregation at least as early as the first Sunday in February.

Holloway also serves as the associational mission strategist for the Gulf Coast Baptist Association that includes both congregations.

Wiggins is being held in the Lamar County Jail in Texas while awaiting extradition to Morgan City.

Hollaway said Wiggins had previously served as pastor of the Baldwin Baptist Mission Church prior to 2011 and had returned in 2015 to again lead the small congregation (which averages 10 in worship services according to the Louisiana Baptist database).

“Shane left town around the first of February,” Holloway wrote. “My last conversation with him was on Jan. 28, 2025.”

Holloway also noted that Wiggins had been replaced as pastor on Feb. 12 by Warren Guidry, the associate pastor of Little Pass Baptist Church, and the Baldwin congregation merged with First Baptist Church of Franklin, La., on April 13.

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.

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: Evangelical Youth Pastor Benjamin Guerra Charged with Child Rape

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busted

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.

Benjamin Guerra, a youth pastor at an unnamed Evangelical church in Outlook, Washington, stands accused of raping a minor church member.

Fox-26 reports:

Prosecutors charged an Outlook youth pastor with raping a teenage girl he knew.

In addition to five charges each of second-degree rape and third-degree child molestation, Benjamin Felix Guerra, 32, was also charged with three counts of third-degree child rape and a single count of communicating with a minor for immoral purposes, according to a six-page charging document filed in Yakima County Superior Court Monday.

Guerra, who is out of custody after posting $10,000 bail, is scheduled to be arraigned on the charges April 24.

A woman called the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office in late March saying that Guerra had inappropriately touched her 15-year-old daughter, who was part of a youth group Guerra was leading, according to a probable cause affidavit filed by a sheriff’s detective.

The Yakima Herald-Republic typically does not identify sexual assault victims without their consent.

Sheriff’s spokesman Casey Schilperoort said the report did not identify the church where Guerra served.

In an interview at the county’s Children Advocacy Center, the girl described several incidents where Guerra raped and molested her on multiple occasions, the affidavit said. While at a fast-food restaurant with Guerra and members of the youth group, Guerra, she said, wrote a note on his cellphone asking her to prepare for sex with him and telling her to be quiet about what they were doing.

Guerra was arrested at his home in the 2800 block of Gurley Road April 9 and booked into the Yakima County jail.

While a pretrial evaluation recommended releasing Guerra on court supervision, Judge Jeffery Swan ordered Guerra held in lieu of $10,000 bail and, if he posted bail, to maintain weekly phone contact with court staff and report in person twice a week, as well as receive text messages reminding him of further court dates.

Swan also barred Guerra from having any contact with the victim.

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.

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: Evangelical Pastor Leo Parker Arrested for Sexual Misconduct with a Child

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emerge church palatka

Leo Parker, pastor of The Emerge Church in Palatka, Florida, stands accused of sexual misconduct with a child.

First Coast News reports:

A Palatka pastor has been arrested for having a “sexual relationship” with a child “between 12 and 18” years old, according to the Palatka Police Department.

Leo Alfonzo Parker, 42, was arrested Wednesday, PPD said. He was identified as a pastor at an East Palatka church. Neighbors tell First Coast News he works at Emerge Church — his picture is also on their social media.

Both sides of the street where Parker lives were cut off by police tape Wednesday night. Neighbors who were in the area said they were shocked and that Parker was well-liked.

It wasn’t until police taped off her street that she realized that pastor was her neighbor, Leo Alfonzo Parker.

“It’s kind of scary because I have two kids. Very scary actually,” Hansford said. “It’s pretty scary that, and there’s a school right across the street as well so that’s also really scary.” 

Police say they responded to a call last Thursday where someone reported an “inappropriate relationship between a minor child and an adult male” who was later identified as Parker; they then discovered he was involved in a relationship for an “extended period of time.”

A warrant for Parker’s arrest on charges of sexual battery with a minor was issued Wednesday. He surrendered to detectives.

He is being held on bond for $100,000 at Putnam County Jail.

Police say the investigation is active. Parents are asked to contact the Palatka Police Department if they think there could have been inappropriate contact between Parker and their child.

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.

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.

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: Evangelical Worship Pastor William Johnson Pleads Guilty to Hiding Camera in Church Bathroom

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william johnson

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 Johnson, worship pastor of 2|42 Community Church in Brighton, Michigan, recently pleaded guilty to one count of child sexually abusive activity, seven counts of using a computer to commit a crime, four counts of surveilling an unclothed person, two counts of possessing child sexually abusive material and one count of tampering with evidence.

ABC-17 reports:

A former pastor at a Livingston County church has pleaded guilty to 15 charges after he admitted to placing a hidden camera in a unisex bathroom at the church. 

William Johnson, 38, pleaded guilty on April 14 to one count of child sexually abusive activity, seven counts of using a computer to commit a crime, four counts of surveilling an unclothed person, two counts of possessing child sexually abusive material and one count of tampering with evidence.

In September 2024, leaders from the 2|42 Community Church in Brighton alerted the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office after church staff found a video recording device in a church bathroom. Johnson, who was the church’s worship pastor director, admitted to church leaders in September 2024 that he placed the camera in the bathroom intending to record people without their knowledge. He was fired from his position with the church.

Johnson, who worked with the church for five years, was later arrested by the sheriff’s office at his home in Howell. 

When he was interviewed by detectives, Johnson admitted to hiding a camera in a church bathroom periodically for the last two years and targeting specific people who were known to use that bathroom. Deputies say the bathroom was used by church staff and volunteers and was not typically accessible to the public.

Johnson will be sentenced on May 22.

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.

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.

Questions About the Black Collar Crime Series Answered

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i have a question

The Black Collar Crime Series focuses on criminal misconduct—primarily sex crimes—by clergy members. Started in 2017, the series has more than 1,000 stories as of today.

Today, a reader sent me the following email:

I have some questions for you. When you submit story of someone being arrested and having charges against them, do you believe it is your responsibility to later report if the charges were proven and what the sentence is or if the charges were dropped. Do you believe in innocent until proven guilty or do you feel charges are enough for guilt to shame someone whether or not the court finds them guilty? I’m very curious on your thoughts about that.

Here’s my response:

When you submit story of someone being arrested and having charges against them, do you believe it is your responsibility to later report if the charges were proven and what the sentence is or if the charges were dropped?

Charges are rarely dropped. When they are, they are typically dropped because victims refuse to testify. This does not mean the perpetrator is innocent. All it does mean is that victims do not want to relive the horrors of the crimes perpetrated against them. Often, papers do not report what happens after a clergy member is arrested. I use Google Alerts to track these cases. I receive 100-250 alerts per day, many of which are duplicates or fake news.

I should note that just because a clergy person is found not guilty does not mean he or she is innocent. All it means is that the judge (in a bench trial) or a jury found the evidence insufficient to convict the perpetrator.

Yes, clerics are, on rare occasions, accused of crimes they did not do. Our legal system generally does a good job of separating guilt from innocence. Not perfect, but it is the best system we have. Keep in mind, far more acts of sexual misconduct go unreported than are prosecuted. Clerics often wield a lot of power and control. Victims know this. Fearing retribution, they often suffer in silence. That’s why some victims wait until they are adults to report their attacks and assaults.

Do you believe in innocent until proven guilty or do you feel charges are enough for guilt to shame someone whether or not the court finds them guilty?

Of course I believe in innocent until proven guilty. Every Black Collar Crime post starts with this disclaimer:

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.

I only know of a handful of preachers who were found not guilty. Many of them plead guilty, angling for reduced sentences. Since most of these crimes are sex related, prosecutors tend to take their time building a case against the alleged perpetrator. On occasion, prosecutors make mistakes. Our legal system is not infallible.

I rarely make personal comments about Black Collar Crime stories. I just report what credible newspapers and other institutions write. If I make a mistake, I promptly fix it. If someone is found innocent, if the alleged perpetrator asks, I will remove the story or add an addendum that shows they were found not guilty. The perpetrator must show proof of the not-guilty verdict.  

On occasion, lying preachers (and their supporters) will contact me, saying they are innocent or their charges have been dismissed. Not wanting anyone to be wrongly accused, I ask for evidence for their claim — news stories or court orders. More often than not, no evidence is forthcoming. Why? The offending preacher is a liar. hoping that I will remove the story about him so it will no longer show in search results.

It is impossible for me to keep up with the disposition of every case. If the disposition shows up in a Google Alert, I will update the relevant post. On occasion, readers such as Brocken will track down what happened to a specific preacher, and I update the post. The goal is to always report the most accurate information possible.

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.

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.