Church youth leader from Marysville charged with molestation | HeraldNet.com

A youth pastor from Marysville has been charged with molesting a child for years while she attended his church.

Snohomish County prosecutors charged Kyle Brown, 25, in November with second-degree child molestation. The alleged abuse occurred between 2011 and 2015, when Brown was a youth pastor at  ], according to charging papers.

The victim, who’s about six years younger than Brown, told police most of the alleged abuse started when she was 11, just after her father died.

Church youth leader from Marysville charged with molestation | HeraldNet.com

Pastor pleads guilty to stealing from Camano Island church and Oso victims | News | goskagit.com

A former pastor on Camano Island pleaded guilty Tuesday to stealing money from local churches and Oso mudslide survivors.

Gary Joseph Ray, 57, entered the plea Nov. 12 for three counts of first-degree theft with aggravating circumstances, according to Island County court records. Ray was charged on Oct. 5, 2018, and his case was expected to go to trial Tuesday, Nov. 19.

He is scheduled to be sentenced in Island County Superior Court in February. The standard sentencing range for each county is three to nine months in jail, however, the Island County Prosecutors Office is recommending a sentence of 12 months plus one day, which would send Ray to prison instead of jail, according to court documents.

Pastor pleads guilty to stealing from Camano Island church and Oso victims | News | goskagit.com

Clark County GOP official resigns amid backlash - Columbian.com

Remember: Clark wasn’t kicked out of his seat. He resigned. From reports I have read, had he not done that, there’s no indication the county GOP were going to boot him. The GOP shouldn’t get credit for him stepping down.

A Clark County Republicans committee chair has resigned from the position following backlash within the party.

Dan Clark, also a precinct committee officer, confirmed Monday that he resigned on Saturday night as chair of the party’s Bylaws and Resolutions Committee. He declined to offer additional comment, including whether or not he intends to remain as a PCO.

Clark faced legal scrutiny in 2011 after repeatedly sneaking into a teenage girl’s bedroom, kissing her and giving her alcohol, according to Clark County Superior Court records. He was convicted of residential burglary, violation of a civil anti-harassment order and furnishing alcohol to minors and sentenced to roughly nine months in jail.

Clark County GOP official resigns amid backlash - Columbian.com

Planned 12 Tribes deli stirs concern in South Bend | South County News | chinookobserver.com

New businesses in South Bend are usually met with great enthusiasm, but a recently erected sign announcing a new “Yellow Deli” has caused controversy among some in North Pacific County.

A photo of the deli’s swirling yellow logo was posted on Facebook within days of it appearing alongside U.S. Highway 101. The poster and subsequent sharers on social media identified the Yellow Deli as one of many, all of which belong to a religious group called the Twelve Tribes.
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Growing awareness of the group’s plans to open a business in South Bend has generated intense interest. A local woman’s July 9 Facebook posting regarding Yellow Deli and Twelve Tribes was up to 329 comments and 37 shares by noon July 16. The tenor of comments ranges from hostility and calls for a boycott to defenses of their choice to live how they choose, so long as laws are obeyed.

Planned 12 Tribes deli stirs concern in South Bend | South County News | chinookobserver.com

Charges: Local youth pastor arrested after confessing to raping family member | KIRO-TV

A local youth pastor was arrested after admitting to repeatedly raping a family member, beginning when she was 15, according to charging papers obtained by KIRO 7.

Epati “Pat” Lang, 38, is charged with rape of a child and incest. King County jail records show he’s still behind bars.

Prosecutors said in charging papers that the youth pastor used religion to shame the victim into silence and confessed to police that he raped her. Lang admitted to molesting the victim during a prayer so that he could be rid of the “demonic spirit of lustfulness,” charges say.

A source told KIRO 7 Lang is a youth pastor at Divine Covenant International Church in Burien. The church has shared Facebook Live video of Lang praying on their Facebook page.

Charges: Local youth pastor arrested after confessing to raping family member | KIRO-TV

Man accused of killing brother with sword: ‘God told me he was a lizard’ | myfox8.com

A Washington state man accused of killing his brother has been charged with murder after he allegedly drove a 4-foot-long sword through the victim’s head Sunday night.

Buckey Wolfe, 26, who prosecutors said appears to be mentally ill, called 911 around 6:40 p.m. and told an operator that he had killed his brother, and that he thought he was a lizard, according to The Seattle Times.

“The defendant’s actions — jamming the tang end of a four-foot long sharpened metal-bladed sword-like instrument completely through the victim’s head and killing him — demonstrate the danger he poses,” Senior Deputy Prosecutor Scott O’Toole wrote in charging documents obtained by the paper.

Wolfe told the 911 dispatcher, “God told me he was a lizard,” and “Kill me, kill me, I can’t live in this reality,” according to the documents.

Man accused of killing brother with sword: ‘God told me he was a lizard’ | myfox8.com

Arlington teacher accused of recording indecent videos of women, students | KIRO-TV

An Arlington teacher is accused of secretly recording videos of women and students at school and transferring them to a USB device.

On Oct. 24. detectives talked to the parents of an Arlington Christian School student, who found a USB device in the school parking lot. They reviewed the files and found what was described as several disturbing videos.

Snohomish County deputies said detectives confirmed the USB device belonged to Arlington Christian School teacher Stephen Brown, who is also a pastor at Seven Lakes Baptist Church in Stanwood.

In probable cause documents, investigators said the videos were described as zoomed in and specifically focusing on female students and staff members' breasts, buttocks and vaginal areas. Investigators had also found videos showing the suspect's partial or full face.

Arlington teacher accused of recording indecent videos of women, students | KIRO-TV

Pastor accused of stealing money intended for Oso muslide victims | KOMO

A court appearance for former Oso pastor accused of stealing thousands of dollars intended for 2014 mudslide survivors was delayed on Monday so he could raise money for an attorney.

Gary J. Ray, 56, is charged with three counts of first-degree theft.

Investigators discovered the crime while investigating an unrelated allegation against Ray. The case started when $6,000 disappeared from Ray's church, Restoration Church Camano. In the course of that investigation, detectives said they found he had allegedly taken $40,000 in donations for survivors of the 2014 Oso mudslide.

Pastor accused of stealing money intended for Oso muslide victims | KOMO

UPDATED::Former Tri-City pastor pleads guilty 1 year after nabbed in child sex sting | Tri-City Herald

UPDATE:: Former Pasco pastor sentenced for attempted rape of a child

A Tri-Cities father and former pastor entangled in a child sex sting has been sentenced to nearly five years in prison.

The Tri-City Herald reports 41-year-old John M. Scheline was ordered Wednesday to serve a mandatory minimum sentence of 58 months after pleading guilty this summer to attempted second-degree rape of a child.

The sex crime carries a mandatory maximum life term, meaning it will be up to a state review to decide how long Scheline will stay behind bars.

A former pastor and youth mentor could spend at least five years in prison for admitting he tried to have sex with a teen boy after posting an online ad.

John M. Scheline, 41, pleaded guilty in Benton County Superior Court to attempted second-degree rape of a child.

The plea comes just a week shy of the one-year anniversary of Scheline and 25 other men being swept up in the Tri-Cities "Net Nanny Operation."

Read more here: https://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/local/crime/article214030814.html#storylink=cpy

Former Tri-City pastor pleads guilty 1 year after nabbed in child sex sting | Tri-City Herald

Police: Suspect beheaded girlfriend in front of 3-year-old | KIRO-TV

A Mount Vernon man is charged with premeditated murder after investigators said he decapitated his girlfriend in front of a 3-year-old girl.

Timothy Paul Hernandez, 32, was charged this week with first-degree murder and being held on $1 million bail.
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Timothy advised that he had spoken with God, who told him to strike down his girlfriend … because she did not repent,” a detective wrote in charging documents. “Timothy stated that he struck her down, and caused for her head to be removed from her body.”

Investigator said Hernandez quoted two Bible verses to them, including a passage from the Book of Revelations.

Police: Suspect beheaded girlfriend in front of 3-year-old | KIRO-TV

Former Gonzaga priest and professor sentenced for child porn possession - KXLY

A former Gonzaga University priest and professor was sentenced Wednesday to six months in jail for downloading and viewing child pornography.

Gary Uhlenkott, 67, pleaded guilty in February to viewing depictions of minors engaged in sexual explicit conduct in the 2nd degree back in April 2013.

Uhlenkott had been a Jesuit priest for 25 years at the time and was a professor of music at Gonzaga.

According to court documents, in October 2010, the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and the Toronto Police Service started investigating a movie production company in Toronto, 'Toronto Company', that was the subject of more than 20 complaints of child pornography.

USPIS accessed the website and reviewed film previews, website movie summaries, and customer ordering information. When they confirmed there were videos of nude minor boys, TPS executed a search warrant at the company's business and seized hundreds of DVD movies, photo DVDs, computers, and business records, including customer shipping labels and customer order histories.

Former Gonzaga priest and professor sentenced for child porn possession - KXLY

Pierce County dad accused of beating boy for taking food | The News Tribune

School workers were worried about whether the tiny 6-year-old boy was getting enough food.

His parents allegedly restricted his diet, possibly for religious reasons, and teachers noticed his lunch usually was something small — such as a rice cake and applesauce.

Then a kindergarten teacher saw bruises.

That led Pierce County prosecutors to charge the boy's 27-year-old father with second-degree child abuse. He pleaded not guilty at arraignment Thursday, and Court Commissioner Meagan Foley set his bail at $75,000.

Read more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/crime/article209911369.html#storylink=cpy

Pierce County dad accused of beating boy for taking food | The News Tribune

Hart family crash: Police say SUV may have been intentionally driven off cliff - The Washington Post

I hesitate to include this as there appears to be no religious motivation for the occurance. Regardless, it is still noteworthy in regards to heinousness.

The crash that killed a married couple and at least three of their children after their SUV plunged off a California cliff last week was intentional and not the result of an accident, investigators said.

Greg Baarts, acting assistant chief of the California Highway Patrol’s northern division, said preliminary data obtained from the SUV’s air bag module suggested the vehicle likely came to a stop at a gravel pullout roughly 70 feet away from the cliff before it accelerated and plunged over the edge. That information, as well as the lack of any physical evidence of an accident, such as tire marks, led investigators to believe the crash may have been intentional, Baarts said during a telephone conference call with reporters Sunday evening.

The death of a family that had once captured the world’s attention has left troubling questions about what may have preceded the March 26 crash along the Pacific Coast Highway near Westport, Calif., a small community about 180 miles north of San Francisco. Officials said they have searched the Harts’ home in Washington state, as well as the couple’s bank and credit card statements and phone records, for any signs of what may have led to their deaths. Baarts said investigators did not find any suicide notes.

Hart family crash: Police say SUV may have been intentionally driven off cliff - The Washington Post

Detective: Kitsap Co. mom admits to strangling son to death on Halloween after praying on it | Q13 FOX News

A central Kitsap County mother who allegedly admitted to strangling her son to death on Halloween after praying about it will be charged with first-degree murder.

The charges against Amber Jones, 47, were amended Friday from second-degree murder.

James’ 9-year-old boy, Ryan Rosales, died of “obvious homicidal violence.”  James was arrested Tuesday, Kitsap County sheriff’s deputy Scott Wilson said.
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James was detained and taken to the sheriff's office in Port Orchard for questioning. Detectives said she had cloves of garlic, two lighters and a small vial of "holy water" at the time. She told the detective she used the water to "say a prayer for my baby."

Detectives said there were writings on the wall including the words: "Harvest," "Spaywar," "Greed kills," "sex trade," "God is coming," "No pedo," and "Michael=Devil." James told detectives she had been watching conspiracy videos on YouTube related to politics and chemtrails, and thought she was being followed.

Detective: Kitsap Co. mom admits to strangling son to death on Halloween after praying on it | Q13 FOX News

Former music director at Bellingham church molested girl for years | The Bellingham Herald

A former music director at Bellingham Baptist Church must serve time in prison for molesting a girl for years, a Superior Court judge has ruled.

Judge Raquel Montoya-Lewis sentenced Paul Michael Bane to 5 years in prison, the same amount of time she handed the church’s youth pastor, Christopher Trent, a month ago in a separate case of long-term sex abuse of a different girl.
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An investigator with the Department of Corrections noted that in the police interview the young woman didn’t know basic sexual terms, or basic things about female anatomy. She seemed sheltered, and appeared Bane had groomed her for sexual abuse. He treated her with affection he did not show other children. He would buy her gifts, candy, or food. After Bane abused her, he would apologize.

In the victim’s version, the abuse mostly stopped after 4 ½ years, though there were two more instances of sexual contact when she was a young adult.

Former music director at Bellingham church molested girl for years | The Bellingham Herald

Bellingham ex-youth pastor Christopher Trent sentenced for ‘unforgivable’ sex abuse of teen girl | The Bellingham Herald

http://www.rawstory.com/2017/06/washington-judge-blasts-youth-pastor-who-raped-teen-for-years-you-cannot-hide-behind-concept-of-sin/

The ex-youth pastor of a Bellingham church grimaced, wept, and struggled to breathe in court Wednesday, as he listened to a teenage girl – standing feet away – describe the lasting harm he caused when he raped her countless times.

Christopher Lee Trent was sentenced to 5 years in prison for sexually abusing the girl, who went to Bellingham Baptist Church on Orleans Street when she was under the age of 16.

Court records describe how he kept the abuse a secret for about 2 years.
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Much later the girl told authorities the abuse was even worse than she had first reported: Trent called her his “sex slave,” and forced her to endure sex acts that left her bleeding and in pain for days. He would monitor her conversations with boys and, at times, told her not to eat. She feared he would kill her, if it would keep his secret from getting out.

Police arrested Trent on July 18 as he was loading a U-Haul to move out of Bellingham. He never denied the abuse.

Bellingham ex-youth pastor Christopher Trent sentenced for ‘unforgivable’ sex abuse of teen girl | The Bellingham Herald

Man uses bat to stop dad beating toddler, police say | khou.com

“He was just babbling about how God is coming for everyone and he has to get the evil out of the daughter. He kept coming every time I moved between him and the baby. He’d charge me and I’d swing the bat.”

Holder was taken to a nearby hospital, and in the ambulance he said, "I did not want to kill her, but I had to...I knew I had to crush her head," according to the arresting officer.

"I had to hold my daughter and crush her head so she could go up to the sky," Holder said when he arrived at the hospital, the court document says.

Man uses bat to stop dad beating toddler, police say | khou.com

Bellevue Christian School teacher charged with molestation | The Seattle Times

A Bellevue Christian School teacher has been charged with one count of second-degree child molestation, accused of molesting a 13-year-old student during a field trip in 2012.

Edward Sloan, 45, of Seattle, was placed on leave by the private school in January after the incident was reported to Clyde Hill police, according to charging documents filed Wednesday. Sloan has been a teacher at the school since 1997.

In addition, King County prosecutors say student complaints to the school about Sloan’s inappropriate touching date as far back as 2001.

Bellevue Christian School teacher charged with molestation | The Seattle Times

UPDATED::Victor Barnard, Fugitive Minnesota Cult Leader, Spotted In Washington

UPDATE::  ‘Maidens’ cult leader booked into Pine County Jail

Former Minnesota fugitive Victor Barnard, a religious leader who fled to Brazil to avoid charges of sexually abusing young girls, was booked Saturday afternoon into the Pine County Jail.

Barnard, 54, faces multiple felony charges alleging criminal sexual conduct, including sexual contact with minors under age 13.

Barnard became the subject of an international manhunt and landed on the U.S. Marshals Service’s “Most Wanted” list after being charged with 59 counts of criminal sexual conduct in April 2014. Prosecutors allege he chose 10 girls and young women from his River Road Fellowship to live apart from their families in a “Maidens Group” and housed them in a camp near Finlayson, 90 miles north of the Twin Cities.

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Authorities in Washington say they have received a "credible tip" as to the location of Victor Barnard, the leader of a cult-like religious sect who is accused of sexually abusing at least two girls.

According to the Washington State Patrol, Barnard, 52, was spotted at a McDonald's restaurant in Raymond on Wednesday. He left with an unidentified female, in a dark blue Audi two door, with tinted windows and a spoiler, police said.

"Additional information was developed that places Barnard in the Raymond and Aberdeen areas for approximately the previous week," the state patrol said in a Wednesday press release.

Court documents provided to The Huffington Post show Barnard is facing 59 counts of criminal sexual conduct related to two young women, who claim he abused them for nearly a decade at the church he led.

The two victims, the criminal complaint alleges, were among several girls who lived at the River Road Fellowship compound in Finlayson, Minnesota, which is located about 90 miles north of Minneapolis.

According to police, the congregation is an offshoot of The Way International, a nondenominational Christian group.

Victor Barnard, Fugitive Minnesota Cult Leader, Spotted In Washington

ADDENDUM::Lawsuit: Controversial Pastor Ran Mars Hill Megachurch Like a Crime Syndicate - The Daily Beast

Just when controversial pastor Mark Driscoll was hoping to make a new start, former members of his old stomping grounds at Seattle’s Mars Hill Church have filed a lawsuit alleging Driscoll and his chief elder ran the now-shuttered megachurch like an organized crime syndicate, in which church members became unwitting participants.

The lawsuit was filed on Monday in the Western District of Washington U.S. District Court in Seattle under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, a law originally created for prosecution of Mafia figures.

Former members have been threatening to file such a lawsuit for months to find out just where the members’ tithes—some $30 million yearly, according to church reports—actually went.

Mars Hill closed its doors in 2014, following a number of scandals involving allegations of Driscoll’s bullying and spiritual abuse of members and church leaders, misogyny, and homophobia espoused on a church message board, plagiarism, and misuse of church funds—which this lawsuit seeks to redress. Since its closure, the details of the organization’s dissolution have been opaque, with little public accounting, and a group of remaining leaders who have refused to comment on who gets what from the failed enterprise that not so long ago passed the collection plate around to more than 12,000 visitors every week at 15 satellite campuses.
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 Driscoll followed their lead, resigning in October 2014, and two weeks later, the church was no more. Driscoll now lives in Phoenix, Arizona, and plans to start a new church there.

Lawsuit: Controversial Pastor Ran Mars Hill Megachurch Like a Crime Syndicate - The Daily Beast