Former Church Youth Leader Kelly Malcolm Grant Pleads Guilty to Child Sex Abuse

This story courtesy of The Calgary Sun.

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By Kevin Martin

Former youth ministry volunteer Kelly Malcolm Grant has admitted molesting three girls under his leadership.

Grant appeared briefly in Calgary Court of Queen’s Bench yesterday to plead guilty to five charges dating back to 1994.

Grant, 43, made no comment as the five charges against him involving three minors were read to him in court.

He muttered a quiet “guilty” after each was put to him by the court clerk.

The charges involve incidents of sexual touching of girls under 14 and sexual exploitation of those he held a position of trust, or authority over.

The offences date from Jan. 1, 1994, to Feb. 19, 2002, and all are said to have occurred over a period of time of at least two years, according to the indictment.

Crown prosecutor Ken McCaffrey said 10 other charges will be stayed once Grant’s guilty pleas are formally accepted when he returns to court.

McCaffrey said he and defence lawyer Bob Batting must first iron out an agreed statement of facts for Justice Bryan Mahoney to consider.

At the request of both lawyers, Mahoney ordered that a psychiatric assessment and pre-sentence report be prepared.

Grant was arrested last year following complaints to police of sexual abuse by the former volunteer at Centre Street Church, who moved, along with his wife and children, to a new parish in 2004.

Members of the congregation were shocked when they arrived for Sunday service last Oct. 7 to learn the former volunteer had been charged with sexually abusing three girls.

Grant remains on bail pending sentencing. He returns to court Oct. 1.

Pastor Lawrence Smith Jailed on Sex Abuse Charges

This piece courtesy of Augusta Chronicle.

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Aiken County investigators have arrested a 69-year-old pastor on accusations that he sexually assaulted a teenage girl over a five-year period in the early 1990s.

Lawrence Smith, pastor of Free Indeed Holiness Church in Belvedere, is in jail on charges of three counts of second degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor, three counts of lewd act upon a child, and three counts of assault and battery high and aggravated.

According to the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office, on several occasions between December 1990 and December 1995, Pastor Smith sexually assaulted the victim at his home on Bradleyville Road in North Augusta and at another home on the same road.

Lt. Michael Frank, spokesman for the sheriff’s office, said today the abuse was reported to investigators in June 2007 by the victim who was in the county jail on unrelated charges.

“We know for a fact there are more victims,” Sheriff Michael Hunt said in a statement. “Some either have moved out of the area or do not want to cooperate, but we encourage anyone who has been a victim to come forward.”

The sheriff’s office said that in January 2005, a fire destroyed Free Indeed Holiness Church on Bradleyville Road, where the suspect served as pastor. The cause of the fire was never determined.

“It’s our understanding that he is the pastor of another smaller church by the same name working out of a store front in Belvedere at Belvedere-Clearwater Road and U.S. Highway 25,” Lt. Frank said.

Youth Pastor Anthony Muzzarelli Named in Child Sex Abuse Suit

This article courtesy of The Madison St. Clair Record.

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By Steve Gonzalez

The mother of a 13-year-old boy claims her son suffers from permanent emotional injuries after having been sexually abused by his youth pastor, according to a lawsuit filed June 4 in Madison County Circuit Court.

Jane Doe claims Anthony Muzzarelli was a youth pastor at Mt. Zion General Baptist Church in Granite City and worked directly with her son. The child had been invited him to Muzzarelli’s home as part of the ministry, the lawsuit claims.

Doe claims her son was sleeping at Muzzarelli’s home on Feb. 25, 2006, and was awakened when Muzzarelli allegedly started to fondle him.

She claims the alleged incident occurred during the course of Muzzarelli’s employment with Mt. Zion.

Muzzarelli and the church are named as defendants.

Doe claims Mt. Zion knew or should have known facts which would have caused suspicions of abuse, including various inappropriate encounters on church grounds and at Muzzarelli’s home. Doe claims some encounters were witnessed by various administrators of the church.

According to Doe, Mt. Zion willfully and wantonly failed to supervise Muzzarelli’s activities and contacts with her son when it knew that contact posed a risk of harm.

In addition, she alleges Muzzarelli intentionally assaulted her son without justification in violation of criminal statutes.

Muzzarelli pleaded guilty to aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a minor between the ages of 13 and 16 and is listed as a sexual predator on the Illinois State Police (ISP) website.

ISP lists his address as 4062 Sara, Apt. 96, in Granite City.

According to Doe, her son has suffered serious, painful and permanent injuries of a physical and emotional nature which caused him to suffer permanent pain, mental anguish, disability and medical expenses.

Represented by John Hustava of Collinsville, Doe is seeking damages in excess of $150,000, plus costs.

The case has been assigned to Circuit Judge David Hylla.