The Life and Times of Bruce Gerencser

Tag: Child Rape

  • Black Collar Crime: Southern Baptist Pastor Silas Shelton Charged with Child Rape and Sexual Battery

    pastor silas shelton

    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.

    Silas Shelton, pastor of Blanchester Community Ministries in Cincinnati, Ohio, stands accused of child rape and sexual battery. Shelton is also facing arson charges. Blanchester Community is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.

    The Cincinnati Enquirer reports:

    An Ohio pastor was charged with child rape two years after he opposed a book series he said wrongfully encouraged children to “explore their sexuality.”

    Silas Shelton, 52, who lives in Warren County and serves as a pastor at Blanchester Community Ministries in Clinton County, was arrested on Oct. 15. He faces charges including child rape and sexual battery after a detective said he abused a minor over a period of about six years. 

    In August 2023, he spoke at a Little Miami Local School District meeting to voice concern about the sale of the “Heartstopper” series at the district’s Scholastic Book Fair, according to previous Enquirer reporting. The books prominently feature gay characters. 

    “I tell you, I got sick reading that stuff,” Shelton said at the time. He also lamented that parents “aren’t allowed to talk about the health risks of kids being gay.”

    Shelton is being held on a $2 million bond in a Clinton County jail. 

    He pleaded not guilty to all charges, according to online court records. For each charge, a county website listed a September 2019 date as to when each violation is alleged to have occurred.

    The Wilmington Police Department, which announced his arrest in a news release on Oct. 16, said it wanted to limit the amount of details released out of respect for the person impacted.

    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: Youth Pastor Benjamin Felix Guerra Accused of Child Rape

    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, 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: Evangelical Pastor Samuel McKinney Found Guilty of Raping a Child

    Samuel McKinney

    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.

    Samuel McKinney, an Evangelical pastor at an unnamed church in Kentucky, was recently convicted of first-degree rape against a child under 12 years of age.

    WKYT reports:

    A former Kentucky pastor has been found guilty in a decades-old rape case.

    According to Attorney General Russell Coleman, 60-year-old Samuel McKinney was found guilty Wednesday by an Estill County jury on the charge of first-degree rape against a child under 12 years of age.

    The victim alleged the abuse occurred about once a month from May 1982 to December 1985 and stopped when she was about 11 years old.

    The woman, now 50, reported the abuse in 2023 after learning her abuser was a pastor at an Irvine church.

    “In our Commonwealth, there is no statute of limitations for felony charges, which allowed this courageous woman to come forward and report her abuse after all these years,” said Attorney General Coleman. “Her bravery was critical to putting this criminal behind bars, and we hope her example will encourage others in similar situations to come forward.”

    The jury recommended a sentence of 20 years. Under Kentucky’s law, McKinney will be required to serve 85% of the sentence before he is eligible for parole. McKinney will also be required to register as a Sex Offender for the rest of his life.

    He will be sentenced on June 3.

    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: Evangelical Pastor Jeffrey Zizz Charged With Sex Crimes Against His Children

    arrested

    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.

    Jeffrey Zizz, former pastor of Calvary Chapel in North Thurston, Washington, stands accused of first-degree incest, first-degree rape of a child, first-degree child molestation, second-degree rape of a child, second-degree child molestation, third degree-rape of a child, two counts of third-degree child molestation and second-degree attempted rape. Zizz’s alleged victims are his children.

    The Olympian reports:

    Jeffrey Kian Zizz, a military veteran, turned himself in to Lacey Police on Oct. 21 and vaguely confessed to “sexual misconduct” in his home, according to court documents. He pleaded not guilty to nine specific crimes during his arraignment on Tuesday, Nov. 2. The nine counts include: first-degree incest, first-degree rape of a child, first-degree child molestation, second-degree rape of a child, second-degree child molestation, third degree-rape of a child, two counts of third-degree child molestation and second-degree attempted rape.

    On Oct. 22, Thurston County Superior Court Judge John Skinner found probable cause for six of the nine crimes Zizz’s was ultimately charged with and set bail at $250,000. A pretrial services screening of Zizz did not find any prior criminal convictions. Zizz became pastor at Calvary Chapel North Thurston in June 2019, according to a church Facebook post. The church holds services at Northwest Christian Academy in Lacey.

    Law enforcement were told church pastors and elders “were aware of the allegations and as a result he is no longer a pastor,” according to court documents. In a statement, current Pastor Sam Christensen at Calvary Chapel North Thurston acknowledged Zizz’s was an employee and confirmed he is no longer affiliated with the church. “We were deeply grieved upon hearing of this news and we seek and pray for healing for the family,” Christensen said. “We are available to law authorities if they have questions, but since the issues involved do not appear to involve the church, and since there is an ongoing investigation, we have no further comment to make.” The alleged crimes described in court documents only involve his children and make no mention of other potential victims. A probable cause statement from the perspective of law enforcement described the events leading up to Zizz’s arrest.

    Zizz’s attorney contacted a Lacey police officer on Oct. 12. During the meeting, the attorney told the officer that Zizz wished to turn himself in for numerous sexual assaults he committed “over the years” involving his children. The attorney also informed the officer that Zizz admitted to attempting to sexually assault one of his children while intoxicated a week prior, according to the statement. The incident reportedly prompted Zizz to confess to his attorney. In the days after the meeting, the statement says law enforcement interviewed Zizz’s wife and children about the alleged assaults. The children confirmed graphic details during those interviews, per the statement. On Oct. 21, the statement says Zizz turned himself in at the Lacey Police Department and explained there was “sexual misconduct” in his home involving his children. He reportedly said he wanted his children to tell the truth and believed they would, per the statement.

    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: Evangelical Pastor George Swain Indicted on Child Rape Charges

    greater victory temple

    In November 2020, George Swain, pastor of Greater Victory Temple in Mattapan, Massachusetts, was arrested on child rape charges. Boston-25 reported:

    A Boston pastor facing child rape charges involving three different victims was arraigned over the phone in a hospital bed on Monday.

    71-year-old Reverend George Swain, of the Greater Victory Temple in Mattapan, was originally set to appear in court in Dorchester.

    ….

    Prosecutors allege that the abuse involved boys between the ages of 8 and 16, and that two of those victims were sexually assaulted inside the church.

    The charges stem from allegations that date back to the late 90′s and early 2000′s.

    Last week, Swain was indicted on child rape charges.

    Boston-10 reports:

    Prosecutors say Swain sexually abused three boys between the ages of 8 and 16 from 1997 to 2004.

    The three victims, who are now in their 30s, were members of the church and trusted Swain, investigators say.

    “Bishop Swain is accused of using his position of trust and authority to ingratiate himself to his victims and their families, grooming them in order to gain access to targets for his sexual abuse,” Suffolk County District Attorney Rollins said in a statement Thursday. “He allegedly preyed on his victims’ faith and used it as an entryway into their lives.”

    “He was seen as a role model, and the victims’ families all looked up to him,” Assistant District Attorney Audrey Mark said in court last year.

    Investigators allege Swain abused two of the boys at Greater Victory Temple and the third boy at his Dorchester home where the youngest child sometimes spent the night.

    The abuse went on for years, prosecutors allege.

    Greater Victory Temple is a Pentecostal church that has been part of the Boston community for 19 years, according to the church’s website.

    ….

    In her statement, Rollins commended the strength and courage of the survivors who came forward in order to make sure Swain has to answer in court for his actions.

    “It can be incredibly difficult to disclose childhood sexual abuse, whether as a child or as an adult survivor. The survivors who came forward to disclose abuse by Bishop Swain showed a tremendous amount of strength and bravery,” she said. “It can take decades for victims to make the decision to come forward about sexual abuse, as is what happened here.”

    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.