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	Former Youth Pastor Sent to Prison; Given Lifetime Probation By Vanessa Miller Daily Camera May 21, 2008 http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2008/may/21/former-youth-pastor-sent-prison-given-lifetime-pro/ Years after first being arrested on suspicion of sexual assault on a child, a Longmont youth pastor Wednesday was sentenced to one year in prison and a lifetime of probation. Peter Kim, 40, bowed his head and kept silent during the sentencing hearing that followed years of court hearings on sex-assault charges, repeated arrests for bond violations and a Boulder County trial that ended in a hung jury. The former youth pastor who's accused of "grooming" and sexually assaulting teenage girls must go to prison, register as a sex offender when he's released, comply with GPS monitoring, stay away from all children and kids younger than 18 — including his three children — and remain under some sort of sexual-offender supervision for the rest of his life. Kim's sentence comes after he pleaded guilty in March to having a sexual relationship for three years — between 2001 and 2004 — with a teenage girl he met at Longmont's Central Presbyterian Church, 402 Kimbark St., where he was serving as a youth pastor. Although prosecutors asked Boulder County District Court Judge D.D. Mallard to impose a 20-year probation sentence for Kim after prison, Mallard said his extensive criminal history warrants a lifetime of probation. "You need to be under monitoring for the rest of your life," Mallard told Kim, "unless you can prove different." At the sentencing hearing, the victim from Central Presbyterian addressed the court about how Kim's advances changed her life. The woman said she's struggled with depression, anxiety and an eating disorder. Kim's "manipulation" robbed her of her childhood, she said. "I was seduced by my youth pastor," the woman said, choking back tears. "I have lost the ability to love and truly be loved." It is the Camera's policy notto print the names of sex-assault victims during criminal proceedings. Several alleged victims — including women and their parents — addressed the court about Kim's criminal behavior and how his actions changed their lives. One woman, who said she was a victim of Kim's "grooming" behavior and sexual advances while attending a church youth group in Denver years ago, told the court, "I will no longer be a victim. I will be a survivor." In a letter read aloud by prosecutors, a third woman who said she was victimized by Kim while attending a youth group in 1988 urged the court to apply a sentence that will keep him from re-offending. "If I and the other victims of Kim's abuse can go on to lead productive lives, it is a testament to our strength and vitality, not to the triviality of Mr. Kim's actions," the letter read. Kim was arrested on the Denver woman's reports of sexual assault, and he received probation after pleading guilty in that case, according to Colorado court records. The woman who said she was victimized in 1988 never reported a crime, but she said in her letter that she feels guilty for not stopping Kim from hurting other women. "I applaud the victims for standing up," she wrote. "He is a danger to teenage girls and extremely likely to re-offend." In addition to multiple charges of sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust, Kim repeatedly has been arrested for violating the conditions of his bond by continuing to have contact with children, including his own kids, according to police and court records. Judge Mallard said that although Kim was arrested in connection with two sexual-assault cases, other allegations have been reported at other churches. "This history is very aggravating," she said, adding that she thinks Kim is a high risk to the community and has slim chances of rehabilitation. To the victims who spoke at the hearing, Mallard said, "It's not your fault. "He was the animal," she said. "He was the one who committed the crimes."
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