Youth Pastor Charged with Sexually Assaulting Five Underaged Boys While Working at Aliso Viejo Church

By Alma Fausto
Orange County Register
January 7, 2016

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/victims-698973-church-county.html

Brandon McDade

A former youth pastor at an Aliso Viejo church has been charged with sexually assaulting five boys under the age of 16, the District Attorney’s Office said Thursday.

Brandon Ernis Lee McDade, 30, of Mission Viejo, is charged with two felony counts of committing lewd acts upon a child under the age of 14, four felony counts of lewd acts on a child between ages 14 and 15, and two misdemeanor counts of child annoyance. He also faces a sentence enhancement for having multiple victims.

Authorities say the incidents happened between June 2009 and Dec. 20, 2015. At the time, he was working at Grace Hills Church in Aliso Viejo and had access to children. McDade had been employed by the church for approximately six years, Orange County Sheriff’s Department officials said after his arrest.

“McDade is accused of sexually assaulting the victims while the victims were on church property,” according to a statement released by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. “The defendant is accused of molesting one of the victims at a movie theater in Orange County and molesting another victim while the victim was attending a youth church camp in San Bernardino County.”

McDade was arrested Dec. 9 after a parent of one of the victims went to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

He was later released on $20,000 bond but now is being held on $1 million bail until a pre-trial hearing on Feb. 5 at 8:30 a.m. in Department H-7, Harbor Justice Center, Newport Beach. According to court records, he pleaded not guilty Thursdayon all charges.

If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 30 years to life in state prison and mandatory lifetime sex offender registration.

Contact the writer: afausto@ocregister.com