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  Pastor Facing Assault Charges
He Is Accused of Raping a Teen Girl He Was Supposed to Help

By David Hunt
The Times-Union [Green Cove Springs]
May 12, 2007

http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/051207/met_169361871.shtml

A Clay County church pastor faces charges of sexually assaulting a teenager, first forcing her to have sex when he stopped by her family's house to help her cope with her father's illness.

Fritzner Jean, 35, pastor of First Haitian Baptist Church in Green Cove Springs, was arrested on charges of lewd battery and two counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor.

Jean, who works as a truck driver when he's not in the pulpit, surrendered Wednesday after an arrest warrant was issued. He was being held Friday in the Clay County jail in lieu of $300,000 bail.

Attempts to contact the church Friday were unsuccessful.

Barbara Denman, a spokeswoman for the Florida Baptist Convention in Jacksonville, said any move to suspend or terminate Jean would be at the discretion of local church officials.

Clay County authorities said the teen's father contacted them March 29, saying she had been sexually assaulted.

Jean's arrest affidavit said he was a frequent visitor to the family's home, and the parents trusted him.

During a separate interview with police, the teen said she had been assaulted three times within three months.

The first occurred as she tried to explain to the pastor how upset she was because her father had become sick, according to a Sheriff's Office report.

Police said the talk took place in a bedroom while the parents were away.

The teen said she was told to turn off the lights while they talked because the man said his eyes were strained from working all day. When the lights were turned off, the teen said she was forced to have sex and unable to get the man to stop.

Similar assaults took place two more times, the latest in mid-March, before the police were called, according to the arrest papers.

Contact: david.hunt@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4025

 
 

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