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.
Kenneth Edwards Jr., a minister at Church of Living God in Del Ray Beach, Florida, stands accused of multiple counts of lewd or lascivious behavior and obscene communication with a minor girl.
A Delray Beach minister is behind bars after he allegedly received nudes and performed oral sex on a teenage girl in exchange for vape pens.
According to an arrest affidavit from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO), the investigation began on Friday, Dec. 12, after the Boynton Beach Police Department contacted the sheriff’s office about the crime.
At PBSO headquarters, detectives spoke with the victim’s mother, who explained that the previous day she had confiscated her daughter’s phone, and while searching the phone, she found a hidden Instagram account, the arrest affidavit says. The mother went through the Instagram account and discovered her daughter was having a conversation with a man, identified as Kenneth Edwards Jr., PBSO later confirmed he was a minister at the Church of Living God, the arrest report reads.
The arrest report says the messages included sending nude photographs of herself and allegedly allowing Edwards to perform oral sex on her in exchange for vape pens.
Detectives made contact with the 15-year-old girl, who told law enforcement that she met Edwards Jr. while shopping at DD’s Discount store. The arrest report says Edwards Jr. allegedly approached the victim and asked if they could be friends, and obtained her Instagram.
The two allegedly began messaging each other on the app, the arrest report says. The affidavit says, according to the messages, he asked whether she attended Boynton Beach High School, to which she responded that she was enrolled at another institution.
Edwards Jr. allegedly expressed a desire to see her again, and she agreed to meet with him again, but requested he bring a vape pen to the meeting, the arrest report says.
The report says the two met on a Friday morning. She entered his vehicle and gave him the vape pen he had requested. In exchange, he attempted to perform oral sex on her, which she allowed. According to the criminal complaint, the encounter lasted only a few minutes before she exited the vehicle.
The two continued to communicate through Instagram, where she allegedly sent him nudes, the arrest report says. The two met again a week later at Ninja Kids Trampoline Park, where he gave her a vape in exchange for oral sex, the arrest report continues.
On Saturday, December 13, the victim participated in a controlled video call where they discussed Edwards Jr. performing oral sex on her and discussed their age gap, the arrest report says. Edwards Jr. said if he had known the victim was 15, he would have never touched her, the affidavit says.
The arrest report alleges that Edwards Jr. later contradicted himself, stating that when he first met the victim, he was attracted to her and believed she was 18.
The criminal complaint says that after discovering her age, he said their relationship was going to have to end. The report continues that during the controlled video call, he admitted to meeting with her on two separate occasions, the first time being in the parking lot where she does volunteer work, and the second time at the Ninja Park. Both times he admitted to performing oral sex on her, the arrest report reads.
A criminal complaint says detectives met Edwards Jr. at his home, where he gave a full confession.
Edwards Jr. was booked on counts of lewd or lascivious behavior and obscene communication.
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.
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