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.
David DeMenge, pastor of Dominion Church in Little Falls, Minnesota, stands accused of sexually assaulting a church minor.
A pastor, who had been serving at a church in northwestern Minnesota, is facing seven charges for allegedly sexually abusing a child under 13.
In new court documents, a McLeod County prosecutor says David DeMenge is accused of criminal sexual conduct and is being summoned to show up for his first court appearance on May 4, 2026.
DeMenge used to be a pastor at the Dominion Church in Little Falls, which is about 100 miles outside of Minneapolis, but the sign out front still bears his name.
KARE 11 Reporter Jennifer Hoff spoke to DeMenge on the phone Tuesday and he denied all the charges.
“They absolutely are severe and lucky for me, I’m innocent,” said DeMenge, who also says he’s no longer affiliated with the church. He then referred Hoff to his lawyer.
He and his wife came to Little Falls from Hutchinson to serve as a pastor in September of 2025. There are social media posts that show them being installed in the church when the two other longtime leaders retired. DeMenge didn’t say when he was last affiliated with the church.
McLeod County prosecutors say the alleged abuse started in 2013 and was being investigated by the Hutchinson Police Department. Those court documents say DeMenge watched the victim take a shower and “would touch her after.” The documents also allege DeMenge “started saying sexual jokes.”
The victim’s family was willing to share their story and KARE 11 agreed to keep the victim and the family anonymous to further protect everyone’s identity.
“She went from wanting to dance and hang out with friends and be in public spaces to just being so closed off,” said the victim’s family member.
The documents allege the abuse continued for five years until 2018.
“Pastors are supposed to be people you look up to, they’re supposed to be role models,” said the victim’s family member. “They’re not supposed to be people who hurt you.”
It’s unclear if there are other victims, but the impacted family in this case says DeMenge also worked at a charter school and as a hockey coach.
A Church of God pastor from Minnesota who has left the state faces seven felony charges for abusing a child over a five-year period.
David Kenneth DeMenge, 33, is formerly with Dominion Church in Little Falls, about 100 miles northwest of Minneapolis. He is also an evangelist with Ripples Revival Ministries International, a ministry based in Minnesota with work in Peru.
DeMenge, a licensed pilot, uses the moniker, Davis Domingez on social media sites for both his aviation and ministry postings.
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.
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.
Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.
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.
Andrew Apple, an Evangelical youth leader in Bentonville, Arkansas, pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting minor church girls and was sentenced to thirty-two years in prison.
A former volunteer at a Bentonville church accused of multiple criminal charges has been sentenced to more than three decades in prison, according to court documents.
Andrew Apple, 28, pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree sexual assault on Monday as part of a plea agreement, Benton County Prosecuting Attorney Josh Robinson confirmed to KNWA/FOX24. He was sentenced to 32 years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections.
Court documents filed in February said Apple was a volunteer at a church where incidents of sexual assault took place on church grounds.
The affidavits do not specify which church Apple volunteered at, but a pastor at Calvary Church in Bentonville previously confirmed to KNWA/FOX24 that Apple was a youth volunteer before his arrest.
“It is with deep sorrow that we address a situation affecting our church family,” Dean said. “We have been made aware of serious allegations against Andrew Apple, a former volunteer at our church.”
Dean said Apple was serving as the church’s media coordinator “around three or four years ago” when the alleged incidents took place.
In January 2024, Apple became a volunteer youth mentor and was in that role until Feb. 1, 2025, after the church was made aware of the allegations and removed him.
Dean said the church was cooperating with law enforcement on the case.
A probable cause affidavit said the investigation began when police received a child abuse hotline tip from Arkansas State Police on Feb. 4, 2025, alleging inappropriate behavior by Apple.
As the investigation unfolded, two victims came forward with accounts of prolonged abuse.
The first victim, whose identity was redacted, reported that the abuse started when they were around 13 years old while volunteering with Apple at the church.
A second victim, also a minor at the time, disclosed an alleged pattern of abuse that escalated over time.
When interviewed by police, Apple reportedly admitted to some of the accusations and having “a sexual relationship” with the second victim since they were 13 years old, according to a probable cause affidavit.
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Apple was previously facing rape, second-degree sexual assault and sexual indecency with a child charges. His trial was scheduled to begin on Dec. 16.
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.
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 2019, Jeriah Mast, a former Mennonite aid worker for Christian Aid Ministries in Berlin, Ohio, was arrested and charged with sexually abusing five minor boys.
Jeriah Mast, 37, of Millersburg, Ohio, was indicted Monday by a Holmes County grand jury for offenses that occurred in that county, according to the indictment. Mr. Mast turned himself in to the Holmes County jail on Tuesday evening and is being held on a bond of $250,000 cash surety, according to the jail. He is scheduled for arraignment Wednesday afternoon.
He faces seven felony charges of gross sexual imposition and seven misdemeanor counts of sexual imposition.
He is accused of sexual offenses against five different minors.
he charges of felonies are for alleged offenses against minors under 13, and the charges of misdemeanors are for alleged offenses against minors under 16. The indictment says that the offenses took place between 1999 to 2008.
A Haitian court is seeking Mr. Mast’s return to that country for him to face similar allegations. He left Haiti this spring after allegations arose of his sexually abusing minor boys over a period of years. A Haitian attorney told the Post-Gazette he represents five alleged victims of Mr. Mast.
Christian Aid Ministries of Berlin, Ohio — which is supported by various Mennonite, Amish and related groups — said in an earlier statement it “promptly discharged” Mr. Mast earlier this year when it learned of recent allegations against him in Haiti. He has not yet returned to appear before the Haitian court in the city of Petit-Goave to face the allegations.
Both Christian Aid Ministries and Mr. Mast’s church said he made confessions of sexual offenses.
The ministry placed two of its leading staff members on leave last month after its board learned that they knew as far back as 2013 that Mr. Mast had confessed to “sexual activity with young men that had taken place several years prior,” yet allowed him to remain at work for the ministry until this year.
Did you catch the fact that two Christian Aid Ministries staff members were put on leave for failing to report Mast’s predatory sexual activity with young men? Put on leave? Really? How about firing and excommunicating them for helping to facilitate the ongoing abuse of Haitian children?
Mast later pleaded guilty to sexually abusing two Holmes County, Ohio boys.
Jeriah Mast, 38, of Millersburg, Ohio, had faced 14 counts alleging he abused five minors between 1999 and 2008. On Wednesday, 12 counts were dismissed as part of a plea agreement. Mr. Mast pleaded guilty to two felony counts of gross sexual imposition in connection with molesting two boys.
One incident happened in late 1999 or early 2000 and involved a 12-year-old boy; the second happened in 2005 or 2006 and involved an 11- or 12-year-old boy, Holmes County Prosecutor Sean Warner said during the hearing at the Holmes County Courthouse.
Mr. Mast denied that he abused the boy in the first incident — in which the boy’s mother said she walked into her son’s bedroom to find Mr. Mast under a blanket with her son — but he nevertheless pleaded guilty.
He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine, although both the prosecution and defense as part of the plea agreement recommended he serve no more than five years in prison.
Holmes County Judge Robert D. Rinfret emphasized in a hearing Wednesday that he was not bound by that sentencing recommendation.
“This is horrendous,” Judge Rinfret said of the crimes. “This is awful.”
Sentencing was set for Nov. 5.
The Ohio charges were filed in July after Mr. Mast confessed to the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office in May that he abused boys over a period of about 15 years in both Ohio and Haiti, where he was working for Christian Aid Ministries, a Berlin, Ohio, organization supported by various Mennonite, Amish and related groups.
Mr. Mast told authorities that he abused four victims in Holmes County; a fifth victim — the one Mr. Mast denies abusing but pleaded guilty to — later came forward.
Mr. Warner, the prosecutor, said Wednesday that the plea agreement was offered in large part because further investigation of Mr. Mast’s May confession showed that all but two of the victims were 13 or older at the time of the abuse. That meant five of the seven felony charges Mr. Mast had faced became misdemeanor charges — and that meant the charges were beyond the statute of limitations to prosecute.
Please see the Post-Gazette series Coverings for complete coverage on Mast’s crimes and sexual abuse within Amish/Mennonite communities.
Mast was sentenced to nine years in prison for his crimes. Mast served six years before he was released from prison.
Recently, Mast was indicted for more sex crimes, this time against Haitian children.
A former missionary with an Ohio-based ministry has been indicted on federal charges of engaging in illicit sexual conduct with four different minors in Haiti over multiple years.
Jeriah Mast, 44, of Millersburg, Ohio, was indicted for alleged actions during his multiple visits to Haiti between 2002 and 2019. Mast — who according to authorities admitted to abusing about 30 victims in Haiti and more in Ohio — worked for part of that time for the Millersburg-based Christian Aid Ministries, which coordinates missionary activities for Amish, conservative Mennonite and related groups.
It marks the second court case against Mast, who was sentenced in Holmes County court in 2019 to nine years in prison after pleading guilty to sexually abusing two minors in Ohio.
Mast received an early judicial release in October after serving just under six years, according to Ohio’s inmate database. As a condition of his release, he was placed on three years’ supervised probation and required to complete an intensive supervision program, including sex-offender specific programming.
Court records indicate that presiding retired Judge Edward Emmett O’Farrell of Tuscarawas County granted Mast’s release based on “an exemplary record” behind bars and “most importantly, the Defendant’s stated and demonstrated remorse for the crimes he committed, and the emotional and psychological pain and suffering he inflicted upon the child victims and their families in this case.”
Mast was arrested on the federal charges on Nov. 5 and formally indicted on Tuesday. He is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday in federal court in Cleveland.
“Crimes against children, like those mentioned in these allegations, are reprehensible,” U.S. Attorney David M. Toepfer for the Northern District of Ohio said in a statement. “Such appalling and morally corrupt behavior will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. We commend the work of Homeland Security Investigations and the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office, whose thorough work led to these federal charges being filed today.”
The charges are based on a U.S. law that prohibits citizens from “traveling in foreign commerce and engaging in any illicit sexual conduct with another person,” according to court filings.
The court docket indicates Mast is represented by a public defender, who did not immediately return email and phone messages seeking comment late Wednesday.
The Mast scandal came into public view in 2019 after he abruptly returned home from Haiti. In a subsequent interview with Holmes County authorities, he admitted to molesting about 30 children in Haiti between about 2003 and 2019, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court by Special Agent Jason M. Guyton of Homeland Security Investigations. Details of his admission indicate many if not all of the reported victims were boys.
The federal charges accuse Mast of abusing four different minors in 2004, 2007 and 2011. One was a 13-year-old boy Mast met through his missionary work and allegedly molested in a tent, according to the criminal complaint.
Judge Edward Emmett O’Farrell of Tuscarawas County granted Mast’s release based on “an exemplary record” behind bars and “most importantly, the Defendant’s stated and demonstrated remorse for the crimes he committed, and the emotional and psychological pain and suffering he inflicted upon the child victims and their families in this case.”
Are you fucking kidding me? This judge should be immediately removed from office. Surely, he knew there were other alleged victims; that predators such as Mast typically have far more victims than they are ever prosecuted for.
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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Democrats and an increasing number of Republicans are calling for the release of all the Jeffrey Epstein files. The self-righteousness is on display for all to see. How long have these documents been available to the U.S. Justice Department and various congressional committees? Were they available from 2021-2025 when Joe Biden controlled the government? Why were these documents not released then? What justice, exactly, did previous administrations give to Epstein’s victims — including the last two Democratic administrations?
Trump and his MAGA supporters in Congress are indeed as evil as Democrats portrayed, but something tells me that Democrats have plenty to give account for themselves. And do we really believe it was only Republicans who frequented Epstein’s island? I know I don’t.
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.
Are we watching the beginning of the end of Donald Trump’s presidency? Maybe. One may certainly hope and pray, right? Thousands of emails have been released that clearly implicate Trump in the Jeffrey Epstein sex abuse scandal. There’s no question that Trump was a close friend of the late Epstein and knew that he was trafficking in underage girls. It is also without question that both men are disgusting perverts.
That said, I do wish people would quit calling Trump a pedophile. He’s not, and neither was Epstein. Unfortunately, the word pedophile is used colloquially to label anyone who has sex with a minor. This colloquial use of the word is unfortunate. A pedophile is someone who has an attraction to and has sex with prepubescent children. Trump, Epstein, disgraced ex-prince Andrew, and other well known men had sex with pubescent teens, and not young children. Their crimes are just as disgusting, but we do need to be accurate when describing their perversions. The same goes when we define the sex crimes of Catholic priests. While some of them are pedophiles, others are pederasts — those with a sexual attraction to adolescent boys. An interest in late-pubescents in men is called ephebophilia, although there is significant academic debate as to the term.
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.
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.
Matthew McGinley, the worship pastor for Ascent Project in Fort Collins, Colorado and a Christian school teacher, stands accused of sexually assaulting a minor.
Fort Collins police have arrested Matthew McGinley, 30, accusing the former worship pastor and teacher of sexual assault of a minor by a person in a position of trust. In police and court records obtained by CBS News Colorado, McGinley is accused of having a sexual relationship with a former student that continued for more than one year.
McGinley was a part-time educator at a prominent Northern Colorado Christian school for the 2018-2019 school year, according to the school.
According to police, that is when McGinley met the victim in one of the classes he helped teach. The student was younger than 18 when they met.
Police reported that McGinley, 24 at the time, and the student started off by sending flirtatious late-night texts before the relationship evolved to kissing. Police said the two started having sex at the beginning of 2020. It continued through part of 2020 until the victim cut off communication, according to police.
The intimate relationship had allegedly taken place off-campus after McGinley had stopped working at the school.
McGinley was, and still is, married.
McGinley went on to become the worship and marketing pastor for a Fort Collins church known as “Ascent Project.”
The relationship went largely unshared until 2025, when McGinley allegedly told a church leader about his affair with the minor. Church leaders reportedly gathered and decided to have a meeting with McGinley, one in which they told police he fully confessed to his actions during. Fort Collins Police filed court documents saying McGinley was fired from his role at Ascent Project immediately by the church leaders and was then taken to the police department to turn himself in.
Police obtained an email that McGinley allegedly sent to the victim’s mother. In the email, McGinley wrote an apology for his actions and said they were part of a “quarter-life crisis” he was going through. The email in the court records goes on to suggest McGinley was remorseful for his actions and had repented to God.
McGinley was charged with felony sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust with a pattern of abuse. He was booked into the Larimer County Jail and has since posted bond as he awaits further steps in the criminal proceedings.
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On Thursday, Ascent Project, which is pastored by McGinley’s brother, provided a statement to CBS News Colorado regarding his arrest.
“On September 2, Pastor Josh McGinley and the elders of Ascent Project Church were made aware of serious allegations involving a former staff member, Matthew McGinley. These allegations were unknown to church leadership prior to that date. Upon his confession, he was accompanied to the police station, where he turned himself in, and his employment was terminated the same day. We are deeply grieved by these events and remain committed to the care and well-being of everyone in our church,” said the Ascent Project Church Elder Team.
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.
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.
Arthur “A.J.” Bass, former worship leader at New Hope Christian Church in Wylie, Texas, and a substitute school teacher, stands accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting a child.
A man who was prominent in both Wylie churches and schools has been arrested for the alleged sexual abuse of a child.
He’s a former substitute teacher in the Wylie Independent School District and a former worship pastor at a local church.
Wylie ISD said that none of its students have come forward with any allegations against this former substitute teacher so far.
But the district confirms that for two years, he worked as a substitute at multiple schools, including Achieve Academy, which is for suspended and expelled students.
Authorities said his name is Arthur Bass. But to those who know him, he’s A.J.
The 55-year-old was arrested last week for the alleged continuous sexual abuse of a child.
In a statement, Wylie police said the case came together quickly and that “the arrest stems from an investigation that began on October 1.”
Wylie PD said it received information of a “child making an outcry to her mother.”
Wylie ISD said Bass was terminated from his job as a substitute teacher immediately after authorities were informed by police about the arrest.
In a statement to parents, the district said it was important to share “that this situation did not occur on a Wylie ISD campus, nor did it involve a student the substitute met through our schools.”
The district said Bass began working as a substitute in 2023, with his last assignment in April 2025.
“He has not served in our schools this school year,” Wylie ISD said in its statement to parents. “During his time with us, he worked at multiple campuses across the district, and we received no complaints regarding his conduct.”
On his social media profiles, Bass said he is a worship pastor at New Hope Christian Church in Wylie, which confirmed to CBS News Texas that he was, from 2013 until Bass left the church in February 2023.
In a statement to its congregation, the church said, “The charges are terrible and disconcerting to say the least.”
The church did not say whether the accuser had any connection to the church.
But the school district is urging parents to come forward if they have any information that could help Wylie Police with its ongoing investigation.
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.
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 2023, Albert Wharton, former pastor of Victory Baptist Church in Warsaw, Virginia, was accused of 22 felony counts of taking indecent liberties with a child under the age of 13 while in a custodial position and eight felony counts of aggravated sexual assault. Victory Baptist is an Independent Fundamentalist Baptist (IFB) congregation.
A former pastor of an independent Baptist church in the town of Warsaw in Richmond County is facing 30 felony charges relating to multiple incidents the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office alleges occurred at the church between 1981 and 1997.
Albert Benjamin Wharton, 86, of South Carolina, was arrested in South Carolina at 8:42 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 8 by investigators from the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigations, and South Carolina’s Pickens County Sheriff’s Department.
On the same day, Wharton was extradited to the Northern Neck Regional Jail in Richmond County.
Sheriff Steve Smith of the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office said Wharton’s arrest was the culmination of a 15-month investigation into more than two dozen alleged incidents that occurred while he was a preacher at Berachah Academy between 1981 and 1997. The academy has since closed.
Wharton was charged with 22 felony counts of taking indecent liberties with a child under the age of 13 while in a custodial position and eight felony counts of aggravated sexual assault.
“Wharton has lived and served seven churches in Virginia, South Carolina, Alabama and Florida over the past four decades,” Sheriff Smith said.
Today, Wharton was sentenced to eight years in prison for his crimes.
A former Warsaw pastor at Victory Baptist Church in Richmond County will spend eight years behind bars for child sex crimes committed between 1981 and 1996.
Dozens gathered inside of a Richmond County courthouse in the afternoon of Monday, Sept. 8 in the small town of Warsaw. The anticipated hearing was set to determine the sentence for 88-year-old Albert Wharton, a former pastor at Victory Baptist Church.
In 2023, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Department arrested and charged Wharton with 22 felony counts of taking indecent liberties with a child under the age of 13 while in a custodial position and eight felony counts of aggravated sexual assault.
According to deputies, the crimes were committed at the church’s former school, Berachah Academy, where Wharton was a pastor.
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In June, Wharton entered an Alford plea for eight of those charges. Meaning he is maintaining his innocence while recognizing the Commonwealth’s evidence could find him guilty if this case were sent to trial. The remaining charges were nolle prosequi — meaning officials are declining to prosecute.
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Four victims shared impact statements during the sentencing hearing. Many were brought to tears as they recounted the sexual acts. Some shared that Wharton abused his role as a pastor and say they were beaten and touched inappropriately. Every victim shared the emotional and mental toll this has taken on their lives and said they wish Wharton would take accountability.
Four of Wharton’s family and friends also spoke out during the hearing to share who they know Wharton to be. Many stated that the actions he was charged with was unlike the character they knew. Instead, they described Wharton as a caring, loving, man of God. Wharton’s daughter was among those to speak in Wharton’s character. She described Wharton as her hero and a great example for her kids.
Wharton’s defense attorney shared during his argument to the judge that Wharton does not deserve to die in prison. He cited the 88-year-old’s health as a reason for the judge to suspend his sentence or give him a shortened or at home incarceration.
The Richmond County Commonwealth’s Attorney, Elizabeth Trible, argued that Wharton’s age should not be a factor.
“Mr. Wharton used the girls ages in order to commit these crimes against them and attempted today to use his own age to avoid responsibility for these crimes. I am pleased that the judge didn’t accept that argument,” Trible said.
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.
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.
Ryan Denzer-Johnson, a youth leader at an unnamed church (possibly the Evangelical Free Church) and a school teacher in Embarass, Minnesota, stands accused of sexually assaulting a child.
An Embarrass, Minnesota, man who has served as a teacher and church leader is accused of sexually assaulting a child.
Ryan Ross Denzer-Johnson, 43, was charged Monday, Aug. 18, with three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct against a child under the age of 14.
Denzer-Johnson has worked as a math teacher at Mesabi East Schools in Aurora and Northeast Range School in Babbitt in recent years, according to public records, but is no longer employed at either.
Prosecutors said he has also recently served in youth ministry and on the advisory board at an unspecified church.
The alleged victim is known to Denzer-Johnson, and the incidents are unrelated to either his work or volunteer roles.
A criminal complaint says the girl participated in a forensic interview last week. She recalled a period around March 2023 during which she said Denzer-Johnson would sexually touch her, sometimes multiple times a day.
The girl also recalled a similar incident at a later date, with the complaint alleging the conduct occurred at any point up until July 2024.
Denzer-Johnson also allegedly admitted to his wife earlier this month that he had sexually assaulted the girl “two years ago, and it ended one year ago,” the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office learned.
The complaint says Denzer-Johnson was interviewed Thursday and admitted to repeatedly touching the child. He allegedly recalled three specific incidents but stated, “I can’t tell you that that never happened other times.”
Denzer-Johnson additionally told law enforcement that he “can’t guarantee that there wasn’t like some grooming before (because) there probably was,” according to a memorandum from St. Louis County prosecutor Amber Pederson.
He allegedly described having prior concerns that he could sexually harm girls.
“Despite being aware for some time that he was prone to sexually assault minor females, (the) defendant put himself in positions with access to minor females,” Peterson told the court.
Judge Bhupesh Pattni granted the prosecutor’s request to set unconditional bail at $300,000, or $100,000 with several pretrial release conditions.
Denzer-Johnson has been a licensed math teacher for grades 5-12 in Minnesota since 2014, according to state records.
He resigned from Northeast Range in 2023 to join Mesabi East, and has also been involved in leading robotics programs at both Iron Range schools.
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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