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Black Collar Crime: Southern Baptist Pastor Jonathan Elwing Accused of Child Pornography Possession

Bruce Gerencser 1 Comment
jonathan elwing

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.

Jonathan Elwing, pastor of Palm View First Baptist Church in Palmetto, Florida, stands accused of multiple counts of possession of child pornography. Palm View is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and holds to Calvinistic theology.

The Biblical Reporter reports:

Jonathan Edward Elwing, senior pastor of Palm View Baptist Church in Palmetto, was arrested June 21 on four counts of possession of child sexual abuse images.

The church, located on the southern edge of Tampa Bay, confirmed the arrest of Elwing, 43, on its Facebook page that same evening. Elwing resigned from the church prior to being arrested.

The church’s chairman of deacons told local news that Palm View had held several training sessions on identifying signs of sexual abuse. He added that Elwing, who according to online records began at the church in November 2019, followed a pastor who had been with the congregation for 41 years.

….

Manatee County Sheriff’s Office detectives received information the day prior that Elwing had used cryptocurrency to purchase the images online. Deputies found four “sexually explicit photos of children” on his cellphone Friday after executing a search warrant at his home and office. Elwing remains in custody at the Manatee County jail and is being held on $15,000 bond for each count.  

The Conservative Baptist Network, of which Elwing was a member of the Florida state chapter leadership, released a statement on June 22.

“Upon learning of this news, he was immediately removed from the Network,” said Timothy Pigg, CBN network director. “I ask that you pray for the Palm View Baptist Church and Jonathan’s family.”

ABC-7 adds:

Manatee County Sheriff’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children detectives arrested a Palmetto pastor on June 21 for possession of child pornography. Tuesday, 14 more charges were filed against the pastor.

Church Leaders adds:

A former Florida pastor has received 14 additional charges in connection with a child sex abuse material case. Jonathan Elwing, now-formerly of Palm View First Baptist Church in Palmetto, Florida, was arrested after an investigation revealed that he allegedly used cryptocurrency to purchase child sex abuse material.

Elwing, 43, resigned as pastor of Palm View First Baptist Church before being taken into custody on Friday, June 21. 

The new charges include six counts of possession of child pornography, six counts of use of a child in a sexual performance, and two counts of sexual battery on a person less than 12 years old—which is a capital offense. 

lwing had previously been charged with four counts of possession of child pornography, bringing the total number of charges against him to 18. 

….

Palm View First Baptist Church is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), and Elwing appears to have been invested in Southern Baptist denominational politics. He was a member of the Florida chapter of the Conservative Baptist Network (CBN), a group formed in 2020 to address what it believed to be “liberal drift” in the denomination. 

Following the news of his arrest, Elwing’s membership was revoked. 

Palm View First Baptist Church had also been featured on Founders Ministries’ list of “gospel-preaching, Christ-exalting” churches. Led by Florida SBC Pastor Tom Ascol, Founders is “committed to encouraging the recovery of the gospel and the biblical reformation of local churches.”

The church has since been removed from the list. 

And finally, WFLA reports:

Elwing was a pastor at Palm View First First Baptist Church for the last few years, according to church leaders. He resigned from his position as senior pastor before his arrest on Friday.

….

The chairman of the deacons at the church said the search for a new head pastor will soon be getting underway. They are in the process of forming a committee to begin that search.

“We are under control, but quite in shock,” Deacon Larry Bianchi said. “Personally, I keep thinking it is a really bad dream, and I am going to wake up from it, but unfortunately, this happens in society. It happens more often than not in places where children can be seen.. There’s a lot of children in church. It is a bad, bad, bad situation my preacher has gotten himself into, but we are no longer associated with him. It is hard to say that, but we are no longer associated with him and we are going to have to go forward from there.”

The church leaders said they conducted background checks before hiring Elwing, and he moved to the Palmetto area after working as a pastor in the Florida Keys.

“Everybody is tempted and sometimes we give into that temptation and now we have to deal with the aftermath of it,” Bianco said. “I hope and pray to God that we react correctly, we keep Palm View strong in the neighborhood, and people might come to worship there if they choose. That is my want, and that is the want of the congregation of Palm View Baptist Church.”

Did the chairman of the deacon’s board really call Elwing’s alleged sex crimes “temptations?” Really? Does this deacon think this is a one-off, akin to the preacher getting caught in bed with the deacon’s wife? How stupid and naive can you be?

Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 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.

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Black Collar Crime: Evangelical Pastor Bruce Hollen Arrested on Child Porn Charges

Bruce Gerencser 2 Comments
pastor bruce hollen

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 Hollen, pastor of Calvary Chapel: The Woodlands in The Woodlands, Texas, was arrested on child porn charges.

KHOU-11 reports:

A church pastor from The Woodlands is in jail on child porn charges but details of his alleged crime haven’t been released.

Bruce Hollen, 63, is charged with possession with intent to promote child porn.

The pastor was arrested on Wednesday during an Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force investigation, the Montgomery County Precinct 3 Constable’s Office said.

….

Hollen was in court Friday afternoon and his bond was set at $30,000.

Under Texas law, promotion of child porn means to knowingly or intentionally possess material that visually depicts a child younger than 18 years of age at the time the image was created and depicts the child engaging in sexual conduct.

On Friday, Hollen was still featured prominently on the Calvary Chapel – The Woodlands Facebook page but he’s no longer listed on the church’s official website.

Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 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.

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Black Collar Crime: Southern Baptist Youth Worker Ralph Britt, Jr. Arrested on Child Porn Charges

Bruce Gerencser 5 Comments
ralph britt jr

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.

Ralph Britt, Jr., a long-time youth worker at Dunwoody Baptist Church in Dunwoody, Georgia stands accused of nine counts of sexual exploitation of children. Dunwoody Baptist is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.

WSB-TV reports:

A church employee was arrested after Roswell police say they found child sexual abuse material at his home.

The investigation began on February 10, 2024, when Roswell detectives began looking into child sexual abuse material transmitted through peer-to-peer file-sharing networks.

This led detectives to Ralph Britt Jr., 59, Johns Creek home on April 24, where a search warrant was executed.

According to police, authorities found more child sexual abuse material at the home and took several electronic devices for processing.

Later that Wednesday, detectives met Britt at Dunwoody Baptist Church, where he was arrested.

At the time of his arrest, Britt was an employee of the church, where he reportedly worked closely with children and the youth in different capacities over the past 20 years.

RPD says the church has cooperated with the investigation, which remains active and ongoing.

Britt was booked into the Fulton County Jail on nine counts of sexual exploitation of children. Officials said more charges are forthcoming.

Channel 2′s Tom Regan was at the Dunwoody Baptist Church Tuesday, where church leaders said the news hit the congregation hard.

“We are shocked and devastated,” Pastor Allen Taliaferro said. “This is someone we have known for decades.”

Taliaferro said Britt was most recently involved in a drama production and was involved with several different ministry departments.

Church leaders broke the news to their 2,000 members in an email and conversations.

“This was tough to sit down and say to the church,” Taliaferro said.

Pastor Alan Jackson said there is no evidence that the crimes happened on church grounds.

“No evidence has been brought forward that any person-to-person contact took place, and no parent has brought any suspicious memories either,” Jackson said.

Church leaders said they did regular, rigorous background checks on Britt and have measures in place to protect children.

Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 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.

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Black Collar Crime: Baptist Pastor Nathan Legault Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Possession of Child Pornography

Bruce Gerencser 4 Comments
pastor nathan legault

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.

Nathan Legault, a Canadian Baptist pastor, pleaded guilty to child pornography charges and was sentenced to two years in prison.

The Northern View reports:

A Prince Rupert man who was a pastor has been given a conditional sentence of two years less a day followed by three years of probation for possessing child pornography.

Nathan Legault pleaded guilty to two charges in May 2022 — one for creating child pornography and one for possessing child pornography. He was sentenced by provincial court judge David Patterson in January, with the written decision only recently released.

The court learned that Legault began contacting minors he had met as a pastoral intern at baptist churches in Saskatchewan and Windsor, Ontario. Legault sent nude photos and videos of himself masturbating to two early teens — referred to as A.A.A. and B.B.B. in court documents — and their friends. He used fake social media accounts pretending to be a boy their age.

Legault also sent deepfake photos with A.A.A. and B.B.B.’s faces cropped onto nude images to the victims and their friends. A Windsor police investigation found that Legault had been sending the photos from Prince Rupert, where he was an associate pastor after moving to the area in 2018.

Crown and defence made a joint submission for the conditional sentence, which Patterson “reluctantly” accepted, fearing that the decision could “bring the administration of justice into disrepute and be contrary to the public interest.”

It took three sentencing hearings throughout 2023 during which the defence, then the Crown defended the sentencing recommendation to convince Patterson to accept it.

Patterson read a powerful victim impact statement from B.B.B., who detailed how Legault’s actions led her to consider suicide. B.B.B. also said Legault’s crimes led her to believe he would kidnap her.

“This has destroyed my physical and mental well-being. I am disgusted by the actions. I constantly ask myself, why me? This is something that can’t be erased and it will and has hurt me forever,” the young victim said.

Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 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.

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Black Collar Crime: Evangelical Children’s Pastor James Dryden Arrested on Child Pornography Charges

Bruce Gerencser 0 Comments
james dryden

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 Dryden, children’s pastor at Stein Highway Church of God in Seaford, Delaware, stands accused of ten counts of child pornography possession.

Delaware Online reports:

A former Seaford children’s pastor has been arrested on 10 felony charges after admitting to possessing and viewing child sexual abuse material, the Delaware Department of Justice said Friday.

James Dryden, 74, was charged last week following an investigation by the state’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which includes Delaware State Police and the state Justice Department. The investigation began in July 2022 after the task force received cyber tips that Dryden’s IP address had accessed the material, court documents say.

After receiving the tips, law enforcement contacted Dryden at his home and seized his devices. A forensic examination of the items showed he had additional material, the Justice Department said.

According to the Justice Department, Dryden had been a children’s pastor at Stein Highway Church of God in Seaford for more than 20 years. In a Friday morning statement, Pastor Dan Southern defined Dryden as a “volunteer children’s worker.”

Southern added that the 74-year-old hasn’t been working with children at the church for about three years.

Still, “following proper policy, he is immediately suspended from any and all activities at the Stein Highway Church of God, pending investigation and disposition of these charges,” Southern said.

The Department of Justice said though Dryden is not charged with contacting a child − nor are investigators aware of any victims affiliated with the church − investigators are requesting anyone with information to come forward.

Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 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.

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Black Collar Crime: Evangelical Missionary Adam Pepper and His Wife Sentenced to Years in Prison for Sexual Assault

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adam and tracee pepper

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.

Adam Pepper and his wife Tracee, missionaries to the Dominican Republic with Commission to Every Nation in Kerrville, Texas, were sentenced to seven and five years respectively for sexually assaulting two minors and possessing child pornography.

The Public Prosecutors Office in the Dominican Republic reports (translated from Spanish to English):

The Second Collegiate Court of La Vega sentenced two Canadians to seven and five years in prison and suspended from work, for sexual assault and threat against two minors in the El Mirador sector of Jarabacoa. Adam Eric Pepper and his wife Tracee Lynne Pepper (Tracee Lynne Plett), both 35, were also given the payment of 10 official minimum wages and the criminal costs of the trial. The case was submitted by the Comprehensive Care Unit for Victims of Gender-Based Violence, Domestic and Sexual Offences of the Public Prosecutor’s Office of that jurisdiction. The first was serving in pretrial detention since February 2021 in the public prison of La Vega and was sentenced to seven years deprivation of liberty, while his wife was given five years suspensive of work, an impediment to leaving the country and refraining from teaching in educational establishments. The complaint was filed with the Public Prosecutor’s Office by the mother of a child under the age of 12, after finding images on her son’s cell phone given to him by Adam Eric Pepper, where the accused is visualized by sexually assaulting him, which he recognized for the pants he was wearing. The defendant, whenever he committed the criminal act, threatened the minor that if he said anything he would fall prisoner and then he would not be able to continue giving gifts. The child ' s mother stated that the accused told him to leave the minor to be with him longer alone and to sign a paper stating that if anything happened to her, he and his wife stayed with the child. Tracee Lynne Pepper is also accused of touching the child and recording sexual images of the boy with another 13-year-old girl, so she was also accused by the youngest’s aunt, who stated that Plett told her that if she dared to say what she was doing she and her family, she would kill her and her family.After a raid on the defendants’ home in April 2021, the Public Prosecutor’s Office occupied them with USB memorabilia, a professional camera with their accessories, a suitcase with high-definition recording equipment, a small digital camera with their accessories to use underwater, among other belongings. Videos with images of minors in sexual activity were found on cameras. The legal qualification granted by the Public Prosecutor’s Office to this trial against the accused is for violation of several articles of the Dominican Criminal Code that criminalize and punish the association of criminals to commit sexual threat and assault, as well as sexual, commercial exploitation and the provision of images that violate the honour and dignity of children, in addition to violating articles punishing the production, marketing, acquisition, and possession of child pornography.

The Roys Report adds:

A Canadian missionary couple was sentenced to several years in prison by Dominican Republic authorities for sex crimes involving children, according to a press release by the country’s attorney general last Monday.

Adam and Tracee Pepper, missionaries with the missions organization, Commission to Every Nation (CTEN) Canada, were convicted of sexually assaulting and threatening two minors in Jaracaboa, Dominican Republic. The couple, both age 35, are also convicted of possession of child pornography.

Police began investigating the Peppers in 2021 when a mother reported that she found photos on her son’s phone of Adam Pepper assaulting the boy, who was under 12 years old, according to the press release. Pepper reportedly threatened the minor not to reveal the abuse by saying he would stop giving the child gifts. Pepper had previously given the boy a cell phone.

The mother alleged that Adam and Tracee Pepper continually pushed for more alone time with the minor. She added that the couple even had the mother sign a document that stated if the mother were physically unable care for her son, the Peppers would assume custody of him, the press release said.

Tracee Pepper was also convicted of sexually touching the boy and recording sexual images of the boy with a 13-year-old girl. The girl’s aunt told investigators that her niece and family were threatened by the Peppers with harm if they spoke out.

….

The couple began working with the missions organization CTEN Canada, an affiliate organization of CTEN, in August 2020, according to Adam’s LinkedIn profile.

When the organization learned of the accusations against the couple, they were decommissioned, Rick Malm, Founder and CEO of CTEN told the The Roys Report (TRR).

Malm said the organization was shocked by the news as CTEN staff thoroughly vetted the Peppers before they joined and found no red flags. CTEN interviewed the couple, the couple’s pastor, and other friends of the pair to conduct a background check, he said.

“My gosh it’s just really heartbreaking,” Malm said. “This is just totally out of the blue.”

Since decommissioning the couple, CTEN notified the Peppers’ church and donors, Malm said. CTEN offered to help the Dominican Republic government with its investigation, but he said the government didn’t ask for any help.

….

The Peppers had done missionary work in the Dominican Republic periodically since 2018, according to Adam Pepper’s Facebook page.

….

Pepper previously served as a youth leader at both Steinbach Evangelical Mennonite Church from 2005 to 2009 and at La Broquerie Youth Group from 2008 to 2012, according to his LinkedIn.

Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 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.

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Black Collar Crime: Southern Baptist Youth Pastor Austin Perkins Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Child Molestation

Bruce Gerencser 1 Comment
austin perkins

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.

Austin Perkins, a youth pastor at Grace Fellowship Baptist Church in Cave Spring, Georgia, was sentenced to fifteen years in prison for child molestation and possession of child pornography. Grace Fellowship is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.

The Rome News-Gazette reports:

A former youth minister of a Floyd County church was sentenced Thursday to serve 15 years in prison on child molestation and possession of child pornography charges, alongside another 25 years on probation.

When Austin Wray Perkins was arrested on March 9, 2022, as part of a sting targeting child pornography, police discovered he was also the guardian of a minor living at his home who he sexually victimized.

According to a police statement at the time of his arrest, Perkins took the child — who had no family or support — into his home and molested him. During that time, Perkins was also a youth minister at Grace Fellowship Baptist Church.

Perkins, 27, pleaded guilty to one count of felony child molestation and one count of felony sexual exploitation of children — in a non-negotiated plea in Floyd County Superior Court — in September.

At the time of the arrest, Floyd County Assistant District Attorney Leah Mayo said police discovered what they thought were 20 or so images containing child pornography. There were hundreds more.

“After officers were able to get into both phones completely, we’re talking about hundreds of images,” Mayo told Floyd County Superior Court Chief Judge John “Jack” Niedrach. “There are some images of infants under a year old (being subjected to sexual abuse). It’s a horrific, extensive, extremely exploitative and disturbing collection of child pornography.”

Mayo also read statements from the victim and his now reunited father.

“I know my son will never be the same from the hell Austin has put him through,” the father wrote. He described how Perkins threatened and manipulated his son in order to abuse him.

During the sentencing, prosecutors and Perkins’ attorney Radford Bunker referred to the results of a psychosexual evaluation taken prior to his sentencing.

Bunker described incidents in his client’s childhood when he’d been victimized sexually and talked about a confusion in Perkins’ mental processes because of that abuse.

“This report shows that terrible things have happened to him, but he is treatable,” Bunker said. “It’s because of what happened to him that he is not able to see these things clearly and correctly.”

The attorney referred to a finding in the evaluation that Perkins has a treatable condition and asked the judge to prescribe treatment for Perkins when he’s released from prison.

Members of Perkins’ family and friends admitted that Perkins had done bad things, but asked that the judge give leniency to a person they described as intelligent, caring, and hardworking. He did not speak during the sentencing.

“I think, in his mind, he’s just thinking he was doing the right thing by helping the victim,” Perkins’ mother, Kelly Bishop, said. “He thought that because (the victim) didn’t have a family that did for (the victim), that he would do for (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 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.

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Update: Black Collar Crime: Lutheran Youth Pastor Isaiah Mikkelson Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Sexually Abusing Minor Church Girls

Bruce Gerencser 3 Comments
Isaiah Mikkelson

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.

Earlier this year, Isaiah W. Mikkelson, a youth pastor at Hope Lutheran Church in Quincy, Illinois, was charged with one count of criminal sexual assault, four counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, and two charges of child pornography. Hope Lutheran is affiliated with Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ.

WGEM reported at the time:

A 22-year-old Quincy man who faces seven felony charges related to criminal sexual behavior had his bond placed at $250,000 on Thursday in Adams County Circuit Court by Judge Mark L. Harkin.

Isaiah W. Mikkelson is charged with one count of criminal sexual assault, four counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and two charges of child pornography.

According to court documents, two different females who were over the age of 13, but under 18 at the time of the incidents, have accused Mikkelson of fondling their breasts and sex organs over their clothes.

Court documents also allege that Mikkelson “knowingly solicited, used, persuaded, induced, enticed, or coerced” both females who he should reasonably know to be under the age of 18 to appear in a video involving an act of masturbation.

The documents also state that one of the females reported that Mikkelson used his finger to penetrate her.

The documents allege these incidents all happened in 2021.

The Herald-Whig reported:

A November jury trial has been set for the Quincy man facing multiple sex abuse charges.

Court records show that Isaiah W. Mikkelson’s trial is scheduled for Nov. 6. 

Mikkelson, 22, faces, two counts of child pornography, one count of criminal sexual assault and four counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.

He was arrested March 7 following a Quincy Police Department investigation that started in January when a report of a child being sexually abused by a youth director/pastor at Hope Lutheran Church in Quincy was received.

During the investigation, multiple children interviewed by the Child Advocacy Center alleged abuse by Mikkelson and that the abuse occurred at the church.

In November 2023, Mikkelson pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 12 years in prison.

The Herald-Whig reports:

The former youth pastor at a Quincy church was sentenced to 12 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections on sex abuse charges.

Court records show Isaiah W. Mikkelson, 22, on Friday was sentenced to six years each on two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse in Adams County Circuit Court. 

The sentences must be served consecutively.

Mikkelson was arrested March 7 following a Quincy Police Department investigation that started in January when a report of a child being sexually abused by a youth director/pastor at Hope Lutheran Church in Quincy was received.

During the investigation, multiple children interviewed by the Child Advocacy Center alleged abuse by Mikkelson and that the abuse occurred at the church.

He entered the guilty plea on Sept. 26. As part of the plea, two counts of child pornography, two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and one count of criminal sexual assault were dismissed. 

Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 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.

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Black Collar Crime: Evangelical Pastor Jose Saez, Jr, Accused of Sexual Exploitation of Church Children

Bruce Gerencser 3 Comments
jose saez jr

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.

Jose Saez, Jr, pastor of Iglesia Cristiana Alumbrando el Camino in Brentwood, New York, stands accused of sexual exploitation of children, coercion, and enticement of children, distribution of child pornography, and possession of child pornography.

The Long Island Press reports:

Brentwood pastor Jose Saez Jr., 28, is set to be arraigned in court on Wednesday for multiple charges of child sexual abuse.

The charges include sexual exploitation of children, coercion and enticement of children, distribution of child pornography, and possession of child pornography. There are up to eight counts against Saez Jr.

Saez Jr. was arrested on Sept. 28, with the alleged incidents taking place between Aug. 14 and Sept. 28.

During that time, Saez Jr. allegedly spoke with several minors and an undercover police officer, telling them he had sexually abused an infant, enjoyed molesting children between the ages of 11 and 15, and sought out victims through his church  — Iglesia Cristiana Alumbrando el Camino in Brentwood.

Following a search, the FBI found images and videos of child pornography in Saez Jr.’s possession.

….

If convicted, he faces between 15 and 30 years in prison.

Earlier, the Independent reported:

A Long Island pastor charged with the production of child pornography reportedly apologized to federal agents following his arrest, telling them “I’m sorry, I cannot stop.”

Father-of-three Jose Saez Jr was detained on Thursday following an online tip received by the FBI about an individual being sexually active with minor children.

Agents from the bureau’s Long Island Child Exploitation Task Force executed a search warrant at Saez Jr’s home in Brentwood, New York, and said they found multiple child-porn videos on his mobile phone.

Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 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.

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Black Collar Crime: Southern Baptist Children’s Church Leader David Nims Sentenced to Fifty Years in Prison for Child Porn Possession and Voyeurism

Bruce Gerencser 1 Comment
david nims

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.

In 2021, David Nims, a children’s church leader at Calvary Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida, was arrested several times on child porn and voyeurism charges.

ABC-3 reports:

Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons says the Pensacola church children’s director who has already been arrested multiple times may have more victims.

37-year-old David Nims was arrested late Friday for a third time after investigators say he secretly recorded people in public restrooms at a church in Escambia County.

Simmons says deputies recently discovered that eight additional victims were secretly recorded. This follows Nims’ initial arrest back in June regarding a secret camera hidden in a church’s men’s bathroom.

According to Nims’ most recent arrest report, investigators reviewed over 180 videos that showed multiple people using the restroom.

Sheriff Simmons told Channel 3 that there is a chance they could find more victims as they continue their investigation.

According to Sherriff Simmons, the videos were taken in three locations: Calvary Baptist Church (where Nims volunteered as a children’s director), his home and his wife’s work.

Reports indicate he was recording men, women and children.

“Every time we arrested him and we seize more storage devices and more computer equipment then we end up finding more,” Simmons said. “Unfortunately we end up finding more evidence of video voyeurism.”

Nims was charged with 25 counts of child pornography possession and 16 counts of video voyeurism. Yesterday, he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 50 years in prison.

News-3 reports:

40-year-old David Nims was charged with 25 counts of child pornography possession and 16 counts of video voyeurism. He faced more than 500 years in prison, but he took a plea deal. Some charges were dropped, and Nims was sentenced to 50 years in prison on Friday.

Nims set up a camera under a sink in a restroom at Calvary Baptist Church. In March 2021, he recorded not just adults but kids between the age of 6 and 14 years old. Investigators later found SD cards with more than 100 child porn images in his home.

Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 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.

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Bruce Gerencser