Former Des Moines Youth Pastor Changes Plea to Guilty in Case Involving Girls' Sexual Abuse

Tribtown
February 12, 2014

http://www.tribtown.com/view/story/50eeb52b80bc49a7a858bcd4be8f034b/IA--Youth-Pastor-Abuse

DES MOINES, Iowa — A former Des Moines youth pastor accused of sexually abusing two teenage girls has pleaded guilty in the case.

Court records filed Tuesday show 27-year-old Ryan McKelvey has pleaded guilty to charges of sexual abuse and sexual exploitation by a clergy. He initially pleaded not guilty in September.

McKelvey was a youth pastor at Heritage Assembly Church in Des Moines. Officers began investigating him after a girl and her parents reported an alleged sexual assault by McKelvey. A second girl then reported similar incidents.

Des Moines television station KCCI reports (http://bit.ly/1ohq7i1 ) sentencing in the case has been scheduled for March 24.