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	Pastor Sought after Sexual Allegations By M. Alexander Otto The News Tribune October 26, 2007 http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/updates/story/188992.html Kitsap County deputies are seeking a rural Port Orchard pastor for questioning after he was accused of raping and sexually abusing girls who are or were members of his congregation. "Detectives have established probable cause to arrest" the pastor of the Church in South Colby on two charges of second-degree child rape, the sheriff's department said in an statement Friday. "We are trying to get an arrest warrant out of prosecutors," deputy Scott Wilson said, adding that could come as soon as Monday. The News Tribune is not naming the 60-year-old man because no warrant has been issued for his arrest. He is being sought based on the allegations of a girl and a woman, now in her early 20s, Wilson said. Neither still is a member of the pastor's congregation. The woman called 911 about a week ago and said the pastor had abused her from when she was 12 or 13 until 2006, Wilson said. "She was too scared to report it when she was younger," he said. The woman referred officers to the girl, who said she, too, had been abused. "Both said there are others," Wilson said. "Based on that, we are going out and talking to some of these potential victims." Deputies are not sure whether any are in the pastor's congregation. "The sexual abuse (has) been on-going since" some of the girls were 12 or 13, the sheriff's statement said. On Friday, deputies searched the office of the pastor's church, his adjacent home and other locations for about four hours, looking for evidence, Wilson said. Deputies expected the pastor to be home about noon when they served the search warrant, but he wasn't, Wilson said. A family member "was not forthcoming with information," he said. The sheriff's department believes the pastor might be on the run with his wife in his red Hummer, Wilson said. "We believe very, very strongly he is aware of this investigation," he said. M. Alexander Otto: 253-597-8616 alex.otto@thenewstribune.com
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