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	Pastor Convicted of Raping 14-Year-Old Faces up to 120 Years in Prison on 5 Charges By Monica Potts The Advocate May 9, 2009 http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/ci_12330721?source=most_viewed STAMFORD — A former pastor was convicted on all counts of sexually assaulting his then-14-year-old congregant and tenant while baby-sitting her in 2007. Yves Jerome, 51, who lives on the West Side, was convicted in state Superior Court on Friday on two counts of first-degree sexual assault and three counts of risk of injury to a child. He faces up to 20 years in prison on each count. "I'm happy with the verdict, and thankful the jury took into account all of the circumstances of the case," said the prosecutor, Senior Assistant State's Attorney Maureen Ornousky. The jury, five men and one woman, began deliberating Thursday and told Judge Gary White they had a verdict before noon Friday. As jurors began confirming their verdict independently on the fourth count, Jerome looked up, held his palms to the sky. Jerome, a former volunteer pastor at Igles de Jes de Besta Haitian Church in Bridgeport, was charged after the girl's school guidance counselors and mother reported her missing in September 2007, according to the arrest warrant affidavit and court testimony. As police investigated her disappearance, they found a picture she drew for a class project with the word "Abuse" and a depiction of an adult man asking a girl to marry him and her response, "I'm only 14," the affidavit said. The girl returned home, and later told police Jerome came downstairs from his home into the basement apartment she shared with her family and forced her to have sex with him two nights in February 2007. At the time, the girl's mother was on a trip to Georgia and had asked Jerome to look after her children. No witnesses testified for the defense; Jerome's defense was that the girl was lying. His attorney, David Marantz, said the case was difficult, because it can be one person's word against another's. "The jury has spoken," he said. "We accept their findings and we're going to take it from here." Jurors did not comment as they left the courtroom. Marantz said he needed to consult with Jerome and did not know whether they intended to appeal. White raised Jerome's bond to $900,000. Jerome, who has a previous third-degree assault conviction from 2002, is to return to court July 17 for sentencing. — Staff Writer Monica Potts can be reached at monica.potts@scni.com or 964-2266.
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