BishopAccountability.org

Pastors arrested, charged with failing to report child abuse

Odessa American
December 02, 2014

http://www.oaoa.com/news/crime_justice/article_4a63e7c8-7a73-11e4-b4f2-af5b25fa2fe4.html

Pastors Donald and Gina Haislett of Life Church in Odessa.

Two pastors have been arrested and charged with failure to report child abuse, a class A misdemeanor, following the arrest of a former youth minister, Angel De Los Santos, 26, charged with six counts of sexual assault of a child on Sept. 8.

Cpl. Steve LeSueur, spokesman for the Odessa Police Department, said in a release that Donald Haislett, 51, and his wife Gina, 50, were arrested Tuesday afternoon after the couple reportedly conducted their own investigation into the incident and did not report information to authorities within the required 48 hours.

LeSueur reported that Donald and Gina Haislett met with OPD detectives and agents with the Department of Homeland Security Sept. 24 and admitted to conducting their own investigation after they were made aware of the reported abuse on July 30.

According to the report a three-week investigation was conducted by Donald and Gina Haislett.

Originally De Los Santos was arrested in September and charged with sexual assault of a child after an outcry was made to OPD by the victim’s parents Aug. 28.

De Los Santos, who was a youth ministry volunteer at Life Church, 2900 Kermit Highway in Odessa, had a sexual relationship with the victim, LeSueur said.

On Sept. 2 the 16-year-old victim was taken to Harmony Home and interviewed by a forensic investigator, LeSueur said.

According to a probable cause affidavit, the relationship began when the victim was 13 after they began receiving text messages from De Los Santos that were of a religious nature. Then, the affidavit states, text messages became flirtatious.

The affidavit states De Los Santos would pick up the victim and the two would “make out.” But when the victim was 14, the relationship turned sexual, according to the affidavit.

That relationship continued for more than two more years, and court documents state that De Los Santos and the victim would have sex once a week.

Church officials originally said that De Los Santos was never employed by the church but was a volunteer youth worker until the end of April and that he has not attended the church since the end of July.

As of Tuesday both Donald and Gina Haislett were being held at the Ector County Detention Center each with a bond of $1,000.

De Los Santos also remains at the ECDC and no bond has been set for the six counts of sexual assault of a child or the charges of indecency with a child and online solicitation of a minor.

 




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