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	Joubert to Take His Case before a Jury By Steve Kobak The Hour March 25, 2010 http://www.thehour.com/story/483992 NORWALK (CT) -- The attorney for a Norwalk minister who is accused of rape in New York and faces domestic charges in Norwalk said that his client intends to take the domestic violence charges that he faces to trial. Phillip Joubert, 48, is expected to plead not guilty to charges of risk of injury to a minor and third-degree assault, according to defense attorney Philip Russell, who respresents him on the Norwalk charges. He appeared Wednesday at Norwalk Superior Court and a protective order against him was adjusted so he could retrieve belongings from his former Norwalk residence. He is scheduled for a supervised pre-trial conference on April 1 at Norwalk Superior Court. In a supervised pretrial conference, the defense meets with the state and the court judge to see if there is any possibility of resolving the matter without going to trial. "He has denied that any of the allegations took place. The man has an unblemished history," said Russell. "If anybody ever asks him to enter a plea, it's his intention to enter a not guilty plea." Joubert is also facing rape and incest charges in Queens, N.Y., and is scheduled to appear April 19 in Queens Criminal Court to answer those charges. Queens-based attorney Richard Benson represents Joubert on those charges. Joubert is the founding pastor of New Light Missionary Baptist Church in Norwalk. He is also pastor at Community Baptist Church in Bayside, Queens. The charges in Norwalk stem from a Nov. 14 incident in which Joubert allegedly punched a 13-year-old girl in the face and several times about the torso after he came home to find his Lexington Avenue apartment was messy, according to his arrest warrant affidavit. The rape allegations against Joubert came to light after the Nov. 14 incident in Norwalk, when the victim told her mother about the alleged sexual abuse that had occurred during the summer at Joubert's home in Queens, police said.
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