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  Pastor Guilty in Boy's Assault
Sept. 21 Sentencing Set on Four Counts of Child Molestation

By Crystal Carreon
Sacramento Bee
August 24, 2007

http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/342063.html

Sacramento (CA) — A south Sacramento pastor was convicted this week of molesting a 13-year-old boy at a Meadowview library in March.

Sacramento County jurors on Monday found Frederick Deshawn Dew, 34, guilty of four counts of child molestation stemming from the March 8 assault of a 13-year-old boy in the Martin Luther King Jr. Library on 24th Street.

Dew, who founded Praise Tabernacle church on 44th Street, is scheduled to return to court on Sept. 21 for sentencing; he could face 12 years to life in prison, according to the District Attorney's Office.

In an interview with The Bee earlier this year, Dew said he was innocent and believed God would help uncover the truth. He repeatedly refused to answer a reporter's questions about his past or how he came to Sacramento.

Lana Wyant, spokeswoman for the District Attorney's Office, said prosecutors expect to introduce at Dew's sentencing hearing next month evidence of previous sexual misconduct in Southern California from 1994 to 2000.

In the Sacramento case, Dew had molested the boy in the book aisle of the library and in the restroom, a press release from the District Attorney's Office states. The victim managed to escape and alerted a library security guard, who then tried to stop Dew from leaving.

Security noted the license plate on Dew's Mercedes as he sped away from the library. He was arrested the following day.

"Thanks to the excellent work of the Sacramento Police Department and the bravery of the victim in testifying, this individual will no longer be able to prey on the children in our community," Deputy District Attorney Allison Dunham said in a press release.

Calls Thursday to Praise Tabernacle church were not returned. The answering machine still mentioned Dew as the founder and pastor of the congregation.

The Bee's Crystal Carreon can be reached at (916) 321-1203 or ccarreon@sacbee.com.

 
 

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