UPDATED::Pastor charged with criminal sexual conduct with parishioner | kare11.com

UPDATE::  Former Pastor Gets Probation For Relationship with Parishioner

A former pastor in Avon who pleaded guilty to having an illegal relationship with a parishioner has been sentenced to two years of supervised probation.

Back in August, 50-year-old Charles Pelkey pleaded guilty to one count of 3rd-degree criminal sexual conduct.

According to the Stearns County Sheriff's Office, Avon Police contacted them about a sexual assault investigation where they had a conflict of interest. Avon's Police got a tip from a parishioner of the Avon Community Church that Pelkey was having a sexual relationship with a parishioner while providing her counseling.

Read More: Former Pastor Gets Probation For Relationship with Parishioner | https://wjon.com/former-pastor-gets-probation-for-relationship-with-parishioner/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral


A central Minnesota pastor is charged with criminal sexual conduct for allegedly having sex with a parishioner he was counseling.

Charles Norman Pelky, age 49, is pastor of the Avon Community Church. Avon Police received information from a church member on July 11 that Pelky was having a sexual relationship with another parishioner during what were supposed to be ongoing counseling sessions. Avon Police turned the case over to the Stearns County Sheriff's department citing a conflict of interest, as Pelkey was at that time Chaplain for the Avon P.D.
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Minnesota Law prohibits a member of the clergy from engaging in a sexual act during the course of a meeting (one time, or ongoing) with a victim seeking or receiving religious or spiritual advice, aid, or comfort from the suspect in private.

Consent is not a defense.

Pastor charged with criminal sexual conduct with parishioner | kare11.com

Pastor accused of swindling $70,000 from Prinsburg couple | West Central Tribune

A New London man faces a felony charge of theft by swindle for allegedly bilking a Prinsburg couple out of $70,000 in the guise of a loan.

Erick Anders Ortenblad, 34, made his initial appearance last week in Kandiyohi County District Court. He was released on his own recognizance on the condition he not leave Minnesota and have no contact with the alleged victims.
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According to court records, the Kandiyohi County Sheriff’s Office received a report early this year that a couple in Prinsburg had been swindled by Ortenblad.The couple said the pastor of their church had introduced them to Ortenblad, who said he was a pastor of Experience Christ Church. They told authorities they felt they could trust him because other people in their community knew him.

Pastor accused of swindling $70,000 from Prinsburg couple | West Central Tribune

Former Winona pastor charged with sexual abuse - Winona Post > Article

A former Winona pastor was charged late last week with criminal sexual conduct for allegedly abusing a minor. The Winona County Attorney’s Office charged Rick Diego Iglesias, 64, with three counts of first-degree criminal sexual assault, including heightened charges because Iglesias held a position of authority over the victim.

In late July, Winona Police Department investigators interviewed the alleged victim, who reported that he or she was repeatedly abused and raped over roughly three years, from 2010 to 2012, according to the criminal complaint.

Iglesias served as the senior pastor at Winona’s Pleasant Valley Church from 1994 to 2014 and more recently worked as a pastor in Mars, Penn. In a statement, Pleasant Valley Church Senior Pastor Chad Ellenburg called the news “devastating.” He wrote, “We are heartbroken for [Iglesias’] wife, Nancy, and son, Brennan, as we cannot imagine the pain and devastation they are experiencing at this time. We are also hurting for the victim, but thankful that they had the courage to come forward. We are praying for them as well as anyone who might be affected here at Pleasant Valley or in this community.”

Former Winona pastor charged with sexual abuse - Winona Post > Article

Council Bluffs pastor accused of child sexual assault waives extradition to Omaha

Emanuel Rodriguez returned to Douglas County to face a judge Friday morning. 

He is being charged with two counts of third degree sexual assault of a minor and could face up to six years in prison. 
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Police said the abuse first started back in 2017. One of the alleged victims is a child Rodriguez was supposed to be caring for.

According to an affidavit, an 11-year-old victim reported that Rodriguez had been assaulting her since she was 9 years old.

Council Bluffs pastor accused of child sexual assault waives extradition to Omaha

Pastors face questions after selling church property and buying million dollar lakefront home - The Christian Post

A husband and wife team of pastors from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, are now facing tough questions after selling their longtime church to developers then splurging on a million dollar luxury lakefront home while telling their members that God now wants them to worship in "micro churches" held in their homes.

Bill and Sharon Predovich, senior pastors of the Resurrection Life Church and World Ministry Center they founded 30 years ago, were not immediately available to discuss their new vision with The Christian Post on Monday, but insisted in an ABC 5 report that the real estate transactions were appropriate.
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"The appearance of impropriety is very bad," attorney Jennifer Urban, who teaches the Nonprofit Law Clinic at the University of St. Thomas, argued to ABC 5.

Since the transactions, the pastors have deeded the home to their church and it is now listed as a “church resident” in public records.

Pastors face questions after selling church property and buying million dollar lakefront home - The Christian Post

Former priest charged with sexual assault - Superior Catholic Herald

A former priest of the Diocese of Superior has been arrested in Minneapolis on sexual assault charges allegedly committed during the 1980s when he was a priest.

Felony charges of first-degree sexual assault of a child, second-degree assault of an unconscious victim and second-degree sexual assault of a child were filed in Sawyer County on Nov. 16 against 71-year-old Thomas Erickson, who served in the diocese beginning in 1973. He was permanently removed from the priesthood in 1988.

The assault allegedly occurred when Erickson was pastor from 1982 to 83 at St. Peter, Winter.

Former priest charged with sexual assault - Superior Catholic Herald

Judge dismisses female genital mutilation charges in historic case

In a major blow to the federal government, a judge in Detroit has declared America's female genital mutilation law unconstitutional, thereby dismissing the key charges against two Michigan doctors and six others accused of subjecting at least nine minor girls to the cutting procedure in the nation's first FGM case.

The historic case involves minor girls from Michigan, Illinois and Minnesota, including some who cried, screamed and bled during the procedure and one who was given Valium ground in liquid Tylenol to keep her calm, court records show.

The judge's ruling also dismissed charges against three mothers, including two Minnesota women whom prosecutors said tricked their 7 -year-old daughters into thinking they were coming to metro Detroit for a girls' weekend, but instead had their genitals cut at a Livonia clinic as part of a religious procedure.

U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman concluded that "as despicable as this practice may be," Congress did not have the authority to pass the 22-year-old federal law that criminalizes female genital mutilation, and that FGM is for the states to regulate. FGM is banned worldwide and has been outlawed in more than 30 countries, though the U.S. statute had never been tested before this case.

Judge dismisses female genital mutilation charges in historic case

UPDATED::Charges: Pastor Sexually Assaulted Parishioner, Called It ‘Deliverance’ « WCCO | CBS Minnesota

UPDATE::  Brooklyn Center Pastor Convicted Of Sexual Assault

A pastor in Brooklyn Center has been convicted of sexual assault charges stemming from an incident in September of last year.

According to the original complaint, the victim said she was assaulted by Meally Feeman, 56, at Grace Mountaineer Tabernacle Church after he suggested she needed a one-on-one “deliverance” session to exorcise a demon from her body.
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Freeman was convicted Monday of two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct. He remains in custody and prosecutors will seek a sentence of 58 months in prison.

A Brooklyn Center pastor is accused of sexually assaulting a woman during a spiritual guidance session he called “deliverance”, according to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.

Meally Morris Freeman, 55, of Brooklyn Center faces two felony counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct in connection to the September 2017 incident.

According to the complaint, a 28-year-old woman reported she was sexually assaulted by her pastor, Freeman, at the Grace Mountaineer Tabernacle Church in Brooklyn Center. The victim told police that she knew Freeman for several years and considered him her spiritual father.

Charges: Pastor Sexually Assaulted Parishioner, Called It ‘Deliverance’ « WCCO | CBS Minnesota

Evergreen Church pastor resigned over inappropriate conversations about sex - StarTribune.com

A pastor at a nondenominational Christian church resigned this summer after a church investigation found that he had inappropriate conversations about sex with a woman who was 19 years old at the time.

Mark Darling, a co-founder of Evergreen Church, resigned June 30, shortly before the church’s board of trustees released a statement saying Darling abused his position of authority by spending time alone with women in private settings and asking them questions about sex.

Darling denied the meetings ever took place, according to the church’s statement. The board rescinded Darling’s ordination based on its findings.

Evergreen Church pastor resigned over inappropriate conversations about sex - StarTribune.com

Split verdict in Duluth priest's suit against accuser | INFORUM

I am finding this verdict" a bit odd considering the abuse allegations have yet to be litigated in a court of law, as the article notes.

A jury's verdict has both sides claiming victory in the lawsuit that brought a prominent Duluth priest against a man who accused him of child sexual abuse.

The eight-member Duluth jury concluded late Thursday night that T.J. Davis interfered with the contractual duties of the Rev. William Graham when he filed abuse claims in May 2016, but that he did not intentionally inflict emotional distress on the priest.

Davis, who alleges that he was abused by the priest on three occasions in the 1970s, when he was approximately 15 years old, was ordered to pay Graham $13,500 in damages.

Graham, 68, was pastor at St. Michael's Catholic Church in the Lakeside neighborhood. He was placed on administrative leave immediately after the abuse allegations surfaced, and the Diocese of Duluth earlier this month announced that he had been removed from public ministry after an investigation determined that he was "credibly accused."

The abuse allegations have yet to be litigated in a court of law, as Davis' lawsuit has been put on hold while the diocese proceeds through bankruptcy. Nonetheless, Graham's countersuit against his accuser proceeded to trial this week before Judge Theresa Neo.

Split verdict in Duluth priest's suit against accuser | INFORUM

Minneapolis rabbi among those charged in underage-sex stings

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

UPDATED::Cult leader Victor Barnard wins appeal, sentence will be reduced - Story | KMSP

UPDATE:: Cult leader Victor Barnard re-sentenced, judge makes findings for civil commitment

Cult leader Victor Barnard returned to a Pine County, Minnesota courtroom on Tuesday for re-sentencing after winning an appeal last November that challenged his 30-year prison term. On Oct. 11, 2016, Barnard unexpectedly pleaded guilty to sexually molesting two of his teenage followers.

The 30-year sentence was an upward departure in a plea deal that was agreed upon by prosecutors and Barnard’s defense, but it was tossed out on appeal based on a judicial technicality. Barnard had been charged with 59 counts of criminal sexual conduct, but pleaded guilty to two counts that carried a presumptive sentence of 24 years in prison. A three-judge appeals panel sided with Barnard because the court failed to provide its reasons for the upward departure at the time of the original sentencing.

Minnesota cult leader Victor Barnard has won an appeal of his criminal conviction, throwing out the upward departure of his 30-year prison. Barnard's sentence will be reduced to 24 years.

The court ruled "the case law on this issue is clear: when a district court fails to provide reasons for a sentencing departure on the record at the time of sentencing, no departure will be allowed. Although we have no doubt that permissible departure grounds exist in this case, because the district court did not provide any departure grounds on the record at the time of sentencing, case law compels us to remand for imposition of the presumptive sentence. We are obligated to follow the law."

Sources tell Fox 9 Barnard has been moved to a prison outside of Minnesota, for his safety. In January an inmate of the Rush City, Minnesota, prison said he “was doing God’s work” when he allegedly assaulted Barnard in a cell.

Cult leader Victor Barnard wins appeal, sentence will be reduced - Story | KMSP

Nowthen Woman Dies In Brooklyn Center Head-On Crash « WCCO | CBS Minnesota

Today we’ve learned much more about the driver who was going the wrong way down a Twin Cities highway last night when he killed the driver of another car.  The wrong-way driver was a pastor of a church. The victim was a 911 dispatcher.

The State Patrol says 30-year-old Jenna Bixby was driving to work at the Minneapolis 911 Center around 8 last night when the crash happened. Investigators say a driver was going north in the southbound lane of 252 in Brooklyn Center.

They say that driver is Richard Shaka, the pastor of a Northeast Minneapolis church — and they believe he had been drinking and driving.  He is now in critical condition at North Memorial.

Nowthen Woman Dies In Brooklyn Center Head-On Crash « WCCO | CBS Minnesota

St. Cloud priest faces criminal sexual conduct charges

A St. Cloud priest faces criminal charges on suspicion of engaging in a sexual relationship with a parishioner.

The Rev. Anthony Oelrich, 51, was charged with criminal sexual conduct in the third degree. The state statue makes it a crime for a member of clergy to engage in a sexual relationship with someone they are counseling spiritually or religiously. 

St. Cloud police arrested Oelrich Tuesday morning and he appeared in court Wednesday.

Oelrich has worked as a priest in the Diocese of St. Cloud since 1992 and until Wednesday was the priest assigned to Christ Church Newman Center. 

St. Cloud priest faces criminal sexual conduct charges

Priest pleads guilty to sexual misconduct during private Mass in Mendota Heights – Twin Cities

A San Diego priest has admitted to sexual misconduct while celebrating a private Mass eight years ago in a woman’s Mendota Heights home.

He is an ordained Catholic priest currently on a leave of absence from the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego, according to the Dakota County attorney’s office.

Jacob Andrew Bertrand, 35, pleaded guilty Monday to one charge of third-degree criminal sexual conduct. The second count was dismissed as part of the plea agreement.

Priest pleads guilty to sexual misconduct during private Mass in Mendota Heights – Twin Cities

A church elder’s Ashley Madison affairs led him to the dark Web — and murder, police say - The Washington Post

This week Allwine went on trial for premeditated first-degree murder. The situation laid out by prosecutors was a mix of religious guilt and piety, online double lives and desperate measures. According to the prosecutors, Stephen, an Internet technology specialist, had begun cheating on his wife using the infidelity site, Ashley Madison. But to him, divorce was not an option.

“He was seeing other women but he didn’t want to divorce her because of his position in the church,” Washington County prosecutor Jamie Kreuser told a jury this week, the Star Tribune reported.
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Divorce — and its religious implications within the Allwines’ faith — is the central piece of the prosecution’s theory. The United Church of God has conservative views on marriage.

A church elder’s Ashley Madison affairs led him to the dark Web — and murder, police say - The Washington Post

Priest on Leave for Child Sex Abuse Allegations Returns to “Ecstatic” Welcome – Friendly Atheist

Generally not a story I would share.   Then I saw this comment, "I dont understand why these are internal investigations? isnt there a conflict of interest? do we let drug gangs investigate their own dealers?"  I like McAfee's take on the matter.

I suppose the Church thinks that the presence of a county sheriff and a police detective lends their board credibility, but the fact is that these types of inquiries should still go through the proper channels. It’s not unheard of for members of a certain church, who happen to work for law enforcement, to side with their religious counterparts and cover up what might otherwise be thoroughly investigated.

As for the real authorities, the Church states that “no criminal charges were filed,” but there aren’t many details on the actual investigation by police.

The Church ultimately decided on its own accord that there was no more investigation needed and allowed the priest to return to work at the same parishes where he worked before. He was met with a hero’s welcome, according to Rev. Mike Foltz of the Crookston diocese.

Priest on Leave for Child Sex Abuse Allegations Returns to “Ecstatic” Welcome – Friendly Atheist

Pastor Charged With Impersonating Officer, Assaulting Teens « WCCO | CBS Minnesota

A pastor in southern Minnesota is facing charges for pretending to be a police officer and pepper spraying a teenager he caught shoplifting.

Keith Douglas Haskell, 55, faces five counts of misdemeanor fifth degree assault, in addition to the charge or impersonating a peace officer and felony use of tear gas to immobilize.

“I think he got what he deserves,” said Abraam Rodriguez, one of the teenagers at the center of the case.

Pastor Charged With Impersonating Officer, Assaulting Teens « WCCO | CBS Minnesota

Restraining order, but no charges for New Ulm priest - Story | KMSP

A New Ulm area Catholic priest will not face criminal charges after a six-month long criminal investigation into allegations he had an inappropriate relationship with a teenage girl.

The girl’s mother, however, has taken matters into her own hands, taking out a restraining order against the priest--Father Sam Wagner, age 33.

In a statement, the Diocese of New Ulm said Fr. Wagner remains on leave from the ministry pending a decision by its Clergy Review Board.

The allegations first surfaced in January, when Father Wagner was relieved of his duties at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Sleepy Eye, where Wagner grew up. The allegations concern his time in New Ulm, and a relationship that began with a 15-year old girl who attended Cathedral High School.

Restraining order, but no charges for New Ulm priest - Story | KMSP

Former Hutchinson priest accused of sexual abuse | Local | crowrivermedia.com

Glencoe Police Chief Jim Raiter confirmed Thursday morning that police are investigating an accusation of sexual abuse against the Rev. James Devorak.

Devorak was assigned to St. Pius X parish in Glencoe from 1985 to 1995, and at St. Anastasia parish in Hutchinson and St. Boniface parish of Stewart from 1995 to 2000.

According to the New Ulm Diocese, he has been accused of sexual abuse while serving in Glencoe. Raiter said he could provide no other details about the investigation.

Former Hutchinson priest accused of sexual abuse | Local | crowrivermedia.com