UPDATED::Former pastor and owner of Dojo Pizza found guilty on 8 counts of sex crimes against children | News Headlines | kmov.com

UPDATE::  Former pastor, Dojo Pizza owner sentenced to 65 years in child porn case

The owner of Dojo Pizza in south St. Louis has been sentenced to 65 years for federal child sex crimes.

In 2018, Loren Copp was found guilty of eight separate counts of sex crimes including producing and possession of child pornography over a six-year period. U.S. Judge Audrey Fleissig ordered $294,000 in restitution to be paid.

He rejected a plea deal that would have sent him to prison for 15 years.

The former owner of a south St. Louis pizza shop has been found guilty of eight separate counts of sex crimes against underage girls.

A federal judge announced the verdict in the trial of Loren Copp, who is also a former pastor, Wednesday in the U.S. District Court.

According to court documents, Copp rejected a plea deal that would have sent him to prison for 15 years. He could now face up to life in prison when he is sentenced April 5.

Copp is the former youth pastor and owner of Dojo Pizza, and at trial, claimed to be a trusted member of the community.

Prosecutors argued he used his position as a business owner, martial arts instructor and community activist to gain the trust of parents and gain access to their children.

He was arrested in April 2016, accused of possessing child pornography and attempting to produce it over a six-year period.

Former pastor and owner of Dojo Pizza found guilty on 8 counts of sex crimes against children | News Headlines | kmov.com

Local professor, church elder faces prostitution charge - News - Kirksville Daily Express - Kirksville, MO - Kirksville, MO

A Truman State University professor and elder with the Kirksville Church of Christ is facing a misdemeanor prostitution charge amid allegations he sought sexual favors from male college students.

Barry Cole Poyner, 57, of Kirksville, has been charged with a class B misdemeanor count of patronizing prostitution.

According to court documents, Poyner faces up to six months in prison and/or a fine up to $1,000 if convicted.

Local professor, church elder faces prostitution charge - News - Kirksville Daily Express - Kirksville, MO - Kirksville, MO

UPDATED::Priest labeled as sexually violent admits St. Louis County crimes | FOX2now.com

UPDATE:: St. Louis County priest already deemed sexually violent sentenced again

The first U.S. Catholic priest to be labeled sexually violent when he was convicted in Illinois has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for abusing two boys in Missouri in the 1990s.

Fred Lenczycki pleaded guilty in May to two counts of sodomy for abuse that occurred at a St. Louis County parish in Bridgeton. Lenczycki is 75.

Fred Lenczycki pleaded guilty Wednesday to two counts of sodomy for crimes that occurred in the early 1990s. He was serving at a parish in north St. Louis County at the time.
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Lenczycki admitted grabbing the genitals of one boy and trying to force the other to expose himself. His sentencing is scheduled for August.

Lenczycki is now 74 and lives in suburban Chicago. Church and court files say he has admitted abusing as many as 30 boys over 25 years in Illinois, Missouri, and California.


Priest labeled as sexually violent admits St. Louis County crimes | FOX2now.com

Police: 19-year old Enterprise employee spiked co-worker’s water with LSD | News Headlines | kmov.com

Arnold police are investigating an unusual incident that occurred at the Enterprise Rent-A-Car location in the 3900 block of Jeffco Boulevard last Thursday.

According to Lt. Clinton Wooldridge, two employees became dizzy and shaky and didn’t know why. The workers were taken to an urgent care center and then transferred to Mercy Hospital South.

Wooldridge said officers questioned a 19-year old male employee and he admitted putting LSD in the water bottles of two co-workers and a third employee’s coffee cup. Police said the man told them he did it because his fellow employees had “negative energy.”


Police: 19-year old Enterprise employee spiked co-worker’s water with LSD | News Headlines | kmov.com

Former pastor not first accused in sex assaults | Local News | westplainsdailyquill.net

The concerned family member of a victim of sexual assault has come forward after the former pastor of the Mtn. View Assembly of God Church was arrested on child molestation charges.

The family member said she wants to let the public and other church members know this isn’t the first time a church member has been accused of sexual crimes against children.

Gregory Scott Reese, 45, of Birch Tree, was arrested March 4 and released on $100,000 bail. The investigation began on Feb. 12 when a juvenile told an adult relative that Reese had been touching her in a sexual manner. The next day, the girl told a school counselor the same thing, according to reports filed by Shannon County Deputy Keith Rader.

In an interview with a children’s division investigator, the alleged victim said during the incidents Reese touched her in a sexual manner and initiated other types of sexual contact on 10 to 15 occasions, according to Rader.

Former pastor not first accused in sex assaults | Local News | westplainsdailyquill.net

UPDATED::Former Independence pastor arrested on child sex charges - Metro Voice News

UPDATE::  Former pastor pleads guilty in child sex sting

The former Wausau pastor convicted of child enticement is scheduled to learn his punishment in May.

Wausau Police arrested Scott Patschke, 53, in September after doing an investigation into a citizen action group's online child sex sting operation.

According to court documents, Patschke believed he was talking to a 15-year-old boy on the Text Now and Grindr apps , but was actually speaking with members of the group, Impact. In the conversation, police said Patschke shared a picture of his genitals, continually asked for pictures of the boy, and suggested sexual physical contact.

Patschke pleaded guilty to a count of child enticement Tuesday during a plea deal.

According to Wisconsin police, a former Kansas City area pastor was arrested after being caught using online dating apps to entice someone he thought was a teenager for sexual interaction.

Scott Patschke was formerly a pastor at the Messiah Lutheran Church in Independence. He moved to Wisconsin in August and became a pastor at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Wausau, Wisconson.

Late last month, a citizen action group called “Impact” set up a sting operation that ended in Patschke’s arrest.

Former Independence pastor arrested on child sex charges - Metro Voice News: Scott Patschke

Priest found hiding in bushes outside St. Louis County woman's home charged with stalking, police say | Law and order | stltoday.com

A priest at a St. Louis County Catholic school was arrested Friday night after, police say, he was found hiding in the bushes outside a female co-worker’s home.

Richmond Heights police say they were called about 10:15 p.m. to a home in the 9000 block of Greenridge Drive, where a woman reported a man looking through her windows.

Officers spotted Michael McCusker, 36, hiding in the bushes, police said. Charging documents allege he ran from police, but was arrested.

Officers learned that McCusker is a priest and teacher at St. Louis Priory School in Creve Coeur, where he also lives. He goes by his religious name, the Rev. John McCusker, according to archived posts on the school’s website.

Priest found hiding in bushes outside St. Louis County woman's home charged with stalking, police say | Law and order | stltoday.com

Against orders, priest leaves diocese, treatment program after pleading guilty to theft | Crime & Courts | rapidcityjournal.com

A former Rapid City priest who pleaded guilty to stealing hundreds of dollars of church donations has left a treatment program and the diocese, going against instructions from the bishop, according to the diocese's December newsletter.

Marcin Garbacz was suspended from his ministry duties in May after church officials caught him stealing and sent to a six-month treatment program in St. Louis.

In July, he was charged with first-degree embezzlement of property received in trust and first-degree petty theft in the alternative, which means he could only be convicted on one of the counts. Garbacz pleaded guilty to the theft charge on Oct. 26.

He received a suspended imposition of sentence — which means his record will be sealed from the public, but not the courts or police — from Judge Bernard Schuchmann on Oct 31. Garbacz paid $334 in fines and costs, and $620 in restitution to the church, a clerk said.

While Garbacz appears to have complied with the court system, the diocese says he's not following church orders.

Against orders, priest leaves diocese, treatment program after pleading guilty to theft | Crime & Courts | rapidcityjournal.com

Jefferson County man charged with murder, sex crimes in Catholic Supply store attack | Law and order | stltoday.com

 A 53-year-old Jefferson County man with no significant criminal record has been charged with 17 crimes in the sexual assault of two women and the killing of a third at a Catholic Supply store on Manchester Road on Monday.

Thomas Bruce, of Geranium Drive in the Antonia area, was charged Wednesday with first-degree murder and multiple counts of sodomy, armed criminal action, kidnapping, burglary and tampering with evidence. He is being held without bail.

Bruce entered the store on Monday afternoon pretending to be a customer, left, and then re-entered with a gun, charges say. He ordered the three women in the store to the back of the store and made them take their clothes off at gunpoint. He forced two victims to perform sex acts at gunpoint, and tried to do the same with Jamie Schmidt, a customer from House Springs, killing her when she refused.

Jefferson County man charged with murder, sex crimes in Catholic Supply store attack | Law and order | stltoday.com

See also::  Suspect in Catholic Supply attack supported gun rights, had served as pastor

UPDATED::Ex-youth pastor at Clayton Presbyterian church charged with sodomy, child molestation | Law and order | stltoday.com

UPDATE::  Ex-youth pastor at Clayton Presbyterian church gets probation for sodomy, child molestation

A former youth pastor at the Central Presbyterian Church in Clayton was sentenced Friday to probation after admitting to charges of molesting and sodomizing a minor last year.

Andrew Dickson, 31, of the 800 block of McKnight Road in University City, pleaded guilty to one count of child molestation and two counts of statutory sodomy as part of a plea agreement.

Dickson received a suspended four-year sentence and will be on probation for five years. 

A former youth pastor at the Central Presbyterian Church in Clayton has been charged with child molestation and statutory sodomy.

Andrew Dickson, 30, of the 800 block of McKnight Road in University City, was charged April 9 in St. Louis County Circuit Court with one count of child molestation and two counts of statutory sodomy.

Charging documents say that the crimes occurred between March 1 and April 1, and Dickson admitted to fondling and engaging in oral sex with a minor.

University City police investigated the case and said the alleged crimes took place at Dickson’s home.

Ex-youth pastor at Clayton Presbyterian church charged with sodomy, child molestation | Law and order | stltoday.com

Defrocked priest still holds medical licenses in KS and MO | The Kansas City Star

A former priest in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas remains licensed to practice medicine in Kansas and Missouri despite being defrocked this year after church leaders determined that he abused three minors decades ago.

John H. Wisner, who had been a priest for more than 45 years, also is a psychiatrist who holds a medical license in both states.

The Missouri Board of Registration for the Healing Arts, which oversees licensing of doctors in that state, is investigating the allegations against Wisner, The Star has learned. If the board determines that he has violated the rules of professional conduct, Wisner could lose his license.

Read more here: https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article218753470.html#storylink=cpy

Defrocked priest still holds medical licenses in KS and MO | The Kansas City Star

UPDATED::Ex-priest who was fired from Cheverus and went to prison, faces new sex charges in Maine - Portland Press Herald

UPDATE:: Former Maine priest pleads guilty to sex assault of boy, confronted by victim in court

A former Catholic priest, who already served prison time for molesting boys in Massachusetts, pleaded guilty Monday to sexually assaulting a 9-year-old boy in Freeport in the late 1990s.

A judge sentenced James F. Talbot, 80, to 10 years in prison with all but three of those suspended for sexually assaulting a minor under the age of 14, and three years, to be served at the same time, for unlawful sexual contact with a minor under the age of 14.

The boy Talbot molested, now a 30-year-old man, told a Portland court that the former priest stole his childhood and his faith. “What was supposed to be a man from God … turned out to be a disgusting animal,” he said.

A former Jesuit priest who taught and coached at Cheverus High School for nearly two decades before being fired in 1998 is scheduled to be arraigned in Portland on charges he sexually assaulted a minor in Freeport nearly 20 years ago.

A grand jury indictment dated Nov. 9 and obtained by the Press Herald on Tuesday identifies the priest as 80-year-old James Francis Talbot of Dittmer, Missouri.

The indictment charges Talbot with gross sexual assault, a Class A offense, and with unlawful sexual contact, a Class C offense.

Ex-priest who was fired from Cheverus and went to prison, faces new sex charges in Maine - Portland Press Herald

Springfield man accused of extorting, raping woman was a pastor

Officials say a Springfield man accused of using an elaborate scheme to extort and rape a woman was a pastor.

And a former churchgoer says the pastor admitted at least parts of the act to his congregation six years ago.

Gary Miller, 41, was charged Tuesday with forcible rape and forcible sodomy following allegations that he sent "anonymous" threat letters to set up a sexual assault in 2012.

Sherry Clark said Miller was her pastor in 2012 at Sycamore Baptist Church in Springfield.

Springfield man accused of extorting, raping woman was a pastor

Wyoming police reopen sex abuse case on former KC priest | The Kansas City Star

Ramification of such, Wyoming does not have a statute of limitation, "We’re aware that people may have reported things in the past, but maybe it felt at the time that their claims were discredited or not given the attention that they merit. We really want to assure people that we are taking all claims, all reports and investigating them fully."

Police in Cheyenne, Wyo., have reopened an investigation involving a former Kansas City priest who went on to become a Wyoming bishop and was later accused of sexually abusing several boys.

In a news release issued this week, the Cheyenne Police Department said it was seeking information regarding sex abuse claims reported to the department as a result of an internal investigation underway by the Diocese of Cheyenne. That investigation is looking into what the diocese says are credible allegations of sexual abuse committed by former Bishop Joseph Hart.

Police did not name the subject of the investigation in their release — only calling him a “church official” — but it is clear that the person they are referring to is Hart. Now 86, Hart served as bishop or auxiliary bishop of Cheyenne from 1976 to 2001. He was a priest in the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph from 1956 to 1976.

Wyoming police reopen sex abuse case on former KC priest | The Kansas City Star

Denise Woodrum: US citizen found with cocaine hidden in shoes at Sydney Airport

Less than a month later, the Missouri woman who was a lay associate of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ would be importing cocaine concealed inside a pair of high-heel shoes into Sydney Airport.

"It was a big shock to the whole family," her father, Tom Rozanski, told Fairfax Media from his Illinois home. "It just came out of the blue."

Mr Rozanski, who speaks to his daughter weekly, said there were no secrets between the pair.

"At least I didn’t think we did [have any]," he said.

But she hadn’t told him about "Hendrik Cornelius".

"She met a man on the internet and started an intimate relationship with him," Woodrum’s NSW Legal Aid lawyer Rebecca Neil told District Court Judge Penelope Wass last week.

Woodrum texted Cornelius on May 28, 2017, saying that her father had agreed to help financially after telling him she needed $US50,000.

Denise Woodrum: US citizen found with cocaine hidden in shoes at Sydney Airport

Joplin man charged with sexual abuse of church youth | Local News | joplinglobe.com

A Joplin man is being held on charges that he sexually abused three boys he knew through his involvement with a church in Miami, Oklahoma.

Matthew D. Galati, 29, was arrested last week when information first surfaced regarding disclosures made by three male members of a youth group at the New Beginnings Life Church In Miami. Joplin police Capt. Trevor Duncan said interviews of the boys were conducted at the Children’s Center in Joplin, leading to the filing of charges Thursday by the Jasper County prosecutor’s office.

Galati is charged with four counts of statutory sodomy with a child under 12 years old and two counts of second-degree statutory sodomy in connection with acts committed in Jasper County. But additional victims have been identified and more charges are anticipated, according to Duncan.

“The initial report was three victims,” Duncan told the Globe. “But our department identified three additional victims.”

Joplin man charged with sexual abuse of church youth | Local News | joplinglobe.com

Metro youth minister allegedly violated conditions of bond for child sex abuse charges | FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports

A metro youth minister facing child sex abuse charges violated bond conditions by being around children, court documents say.

Devin Caruthers is charged with two counts of sodomy, one count attempted child molestation and one count domestic assault.

Raymore Police found out about the violation because someone posted photos on Facebook showing Caruthers around children at the Second Missionary Baptist Church in Grandview.

Court records say, as a term of his bond, Caruthers cannot have contact with his alleged victims or any child under 17 expect for his own child.

Metro youth minister allegedly violated conditions of bond for child sex abuse charges | FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports

Former Granite City youth pastor accused of trying to have sex with 14-year-old | Law and order | stltoday.com

A former youth pastor from Granite City was charged in federal court here with attempting to persuade or coerce a minor to engage in sexual activity and accused of trying to arrange a liaison with a 14-year-old girl.

Eric Michael Zurheide, 31, who is a foster parent, was arrested Wednesday after meeting with an undercover detective who he believed to be the mother of the teen, named Shay. The detective and Zurheide talked on instant messaging applications for about two months before he agreed to meet with the detective to have sex with her daughter, charging documents say.

Police found a sex toy, several types of lubricant, and a box of condoms inside his car after Zurheide met with the undercover detective at a McDonald's, where he was arrested.

Zurheide also told the detective he was grooming a toddler for sexual contact, charging documents claim.

Former Granite City youth pastor accused of trying to have sex with 14-year-old | Law and order | stltoday.com

2nd Guilty Plea Entered in Missouri Transgender Teen's Death - The New York Times

I must have missed the initial coverage concerning this story but I am pleased to note the second guilty plea concerning this case.

A second person charged in connection with the slaying of a transgender teenager in southwest Missouri has pleaded guilty.

Ozarksfirst.com reports 25-year-old James Thomas Grigsby, of Thayer, pleaded guilty Tuesday to abandonment of a corpse. He was sentenced to four years in prison.

Grigsby was accused of helping three other people dispose of the body of 17-year-old Ally Steinfeld, of rural Texas County. Her remains were found in September in Cabool, about 70 miles (115 kilometers) east of Springfield.

2nd Guilty Plea Entered in Missouri Transgender Teen's Death - The New York Times

Pastor charged with impersonating police officer in St. Charles | FOX2now.com

A St. Louis pastor was charged Thursday for false impersonation of a police officer after he used emergency lights to cut through traffic in St. Charles.

According to prosecutors, Rev. Michael Wallace was removed from Abyssinian Baptist Church in north St. Louis for not following church laws.

"You never know. We can only pray for him and lift him and his family up," said Pastor Keith Boyd.

St. Charles County Prosecuting Attorney Tim Lohmar said the dispatch officer was able to locate the vehicle in question, made a traffic stop, and found Wallace’s vehicle had been equipped with a siren and police lights.

Pastor charged with impersonating police officer in St. Charles | FOX2now.com