Pastor Stanley Daniel Pleads Guilty to Child Sex Abuse Charges

This story courtesy of The Randolph Leader.

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by Penny L. Pool
Thursday, May 8, 2008

The Rev. Stanley Daniel pleaded guilty to first-degree rape and first-degree sodomy and two counts of distribution of obscene material Thursday morning in front of Fifth Judicial Circuit Judge Tom Young, who sentenced him to 20 years each on the first two charges and 12 months each on the second two.

Defense lead attorney Thomas J. Spina of Birmingham and associate attorney John Tinney asked for a split sentence, which was not opposed by District Attorney E. Paul Jones. Under the terms of this agreement once Daniel serves five years he would be released on five years’ probation.

Jones told the judge he would expect the evidence to show at trial that Daniel was in charge of a program for troubled youths when he engaged in sexual intercourse, sodomy and oral sex with one of the youths in the program.

When Daniel, 60, then of 2509 County Road 87, was arrested last May he was pastor of El-Bethel Baptist Church on U.S. Highway 431 near the Rock Stand community and administrator of the church’s Pearls of Promise Girls Academy, since closed. It was founded in 2004 to care for abused, abandoned girls ages from 10 to 18 years of age.

The judge had ordered the felonies to run consecutively, which means he would serve one 20-year-sentence followed by the second 20-year sentence. The 12-month sentences, involving the sexually explicit text messages and photos of Daniel’s genitals sent to the teenager, would be served at the same time as the five-year sentence.

The judge said he does not normally allow defendants to turn themselves in later but since an agreement had been reached he set a July 1 date for Daniel to turn himself in to the sheriff.

The judge ordered Daniel not to have any contact with the victim and not to work full-time or part-time in the ministry.

Using strong wording, the judge told Daniel if he violated his probation in any way, no matter whose fault it is, he will revoke probation and send him to the penitentiary.

Jones said he was pleased the victim did not have to testify because in cases such as this telling in detail on the witness stand what occurred can be as traumatic as the actual events.

She would have had to listen as they showed photos of the defendant’s genitals that he had sent her as well as sit in the courtroom while each text message of a sexual nature was read, Jones said.

“Anybody that thinks he is not guilty I would say we don’t prosecute cases unless we believe what we are alleging actually took place,” Jones said.

While the upcoming court dockets will be cleared for additional cases by this and the plea by Mayor Spec Bonner, he said, the dockets are in great shape anyway.

Tinney said, “Stanley regrets the position that he found himself in in this case. He entered a plea we thought was in the best interest of everyone concerned. It was not a plea that was lightly taken in any sense of the word. The charges were serious and after considering all the facts in the case we thought it was best to dispose of the case the way it was,” Tinney said.

Daniel has agreed not to hold ministerial positions and not to do anything in the ministry that would put him in the position of dealing with young people. However, he will be allowed to do prison ministry or revivals, Tinney said.

Pastor Joe Barron Charged with Solicitation of a Minor in Police Sting

This story courtesy of the Dallas Morning News.

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by Tonya Eiserer

A Plano megachurch minister was taken into custody Thursday after authorities say he drove to Bryan, Texas, to have sex with a person he thought to be a 13-year-old.

Joe Barron, a minister at Prestonwood Baptist Church, is accused of online solicitation of a minor.

According to Bryan police, Mr. Barron had been chatting for about two weeks with the person that he thought to be a juvenile. “The online conversations were sexually explicit in nature,” the release said.

On Tuesday, Mr. Barron asked if the girl could meet him in person, police said. Two days later, he made the three-hour drive to Bryan to meet the girl.

Undercover officers arrested him upon his arrival, police said. In his vehicle, police said they found web-cam and headset as well as condoms, police said.

Bryan officers also searched Mr. Barron’s Plano residence where they seized a desktop, two laptops, numerous computer disks and memory cards, police said.

Prestonwood church officials also gave police officials access to his computer at the church, authorities said.

“We are disturbed and saddened by the reports we have heard and we are praying for the Barron family. We are fully cooperating with the police in their investigation,” said Mike Buster, Prestonwood’s executive pastor, in a statement.

The church, which as 26,000 members and 40 ministers, would not provide further information about Mr. Barron.

Former Deacon Daniel Stallings Sentenced for Child Sex Abuse

This story courtesy of nbc4.com.

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A former deacon at a Maryland church was sentenced Thursday to 20 years for sexually abusing two young girls over several years.

Daniel Stallings, 72, apologized to his victims before a Montgomery County judge handed down the sentence.

One of Stallings’ victims was a family member. She was 11 when the sexual abuse began. It continued for six years.

Another victim was a member of his church. She said she looked up to Stallings as a mentor and he told her God was smiling on them.

Prosecutor Donna Fenton said the case was about abuse of power and trust. She showed the judge a picture of a smiling 7-year-old girl and said Stallings killed the light that shined in her young eyes.

In court Thursday, the victims asked the judge to put Stallings in jail for a long time so he can’t victimize others.

Members of Stallings’ family testified that they fear he poses a danger to the community unless he is locked up because his house in Silver Spring is located near St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, a playground and an elementary school.

Defense attorney Thomas DeGonia said that even though Stallings will qualify for parole in five years, the sentence is harsh because of his client’s age.

Former Pastor Gerald Klever Pleads Guilty to Sex Abuse Charges

Later addition…

I think this article in the Delco Times is significantly more informative than the one I posted below.

 

This story is couresy of cbs3.com.

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The victims of a former Delaware County minister sought justice Friday as he admitted to sexual assault. Some victims spoke about the terrible crimes they suffered.

Some 30 years in the making, victims of the former Reverend Gerald Klever said he assaulted a number of victims, some of who were minors.

On Friday, he entered pleas in two of those cases.

“He’s the one who is going to suffer now,” victim Beth Fischetti said.

A mother’s worst nightmare is how one victim described 76-year-old Gerald Klever.

The former pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Springfield, Delaware County was in court on allegations of sexual abuse of minors. Church members said there were as many as 20 victims.

“He took advantage of my innocence and he did horrible things,” Fischetti said.

Fischetti was 12 when she said Klever molested her.

The former pastor pled guilty to one charge of involuntary deviant sexual intercourse with one victim and pled no contest to raping another.

“I want him to take responsibility for his actions. I want restitution. I want him to feel as badly as he made all of us feel over all these years,” Fischetti said.

Fischetti was not officially part of the proceedings on Friday because Klever entered pleas in the cases of two other victims.

As part of the deal, he is likely to be sentenced to 10 years probation with the first year likely to be under house arrest with monitoring and $24,000 in restitution for counseling.

Randall “Danny” Russell Re-arrested for Additional Sex Abuse Charges

This story courtesy of the Joplin Globe.

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Sheriff’s deputies arrested Neosho pastor Randall “Danny” Russell again at 11:30 a.m. today on nine more felony counts of child-sexual abuse filed by the Newton County prosecutor on Tuesday.

Russell, 49, had been free on $250,000 bond since his initial arrest April 29 based on the allegations of a former female church member who claims he photographed her nude and committed sexual acts with her when she was 16.

Since then, three more females have come forward with allegations of a similar nature against the pastor of the Acts II church near Neosho.

Sheriff Ken Copeland said Russell was arrested at his business, Garages and More, at 11285 Mulberry Road, which is also where his church and home are located. The sheriff said the new charges carry an additional $50,000 bond.