Arrested Youth Pastor Was Accused of Inappropriate Conduct in 2009
By Gal Tziperman Lotan
A youth pastor accused of kidnapping and raping a girl from his church had been arrested on charges of lewd or lascivious battery in 2009, records show. Prosecutors ended up dropping the charges against Samuel Pierre in 2012. The case was similar to the one brought against Pierre this week: Both involved girls of similar ages he knew through a church. In both cases, the girls thought that Pierre was taking them to meet other friends, but ended up alone with him, records show. Both girls said Pierre told them not to tell anyone. The 2009 case was dropped because of witness statements, state attorney spokeswoman Angela Starke said. She did not immediately know what the statements were because the related files were in a warehouse. Orange County deputies arrested Pierre, a youth pastor at the Prayer and Miracles International church on South Rio Grande Avenue, on Tuesday. They believe there could be other victims, Det. Michael Kleinfelt said during a press conference on Thursday. "We're dealing with children here, they're the most vulnerable in our community, and he assumed a role of responsibility, or a role of somebody that a child could look up to," Kleinfelt said. Deputies do not believe other people in the church knew what happened, he said. The investigation started last week, when a girl's mother came to detectives and said her daughter was attacked in August. The girl, who was younger than 12, told detectives that Pierre picked her up for a youth group meeting in August. Instead of picking up other children, he drove her alone to his home, deputies said. The girl fell asleep on Pierre's couch, woke up, and asked for water. She drank a bit and lost consciousness, deputies said. She believed she may have been drugged. She remembered Pierre taking her to a back room and raping her, deputies said. He then had her change her clothes, and told her not to tell anyone about what happened. The girl kept quiet for about three months, Kleinfelt said. But her mother, with whom she was close, noticed that she was acting distant and her grades were dropping. Finally, the girl told her mother, who went to the sheriff's office. "The young girl's a hero in my eyes," Kleinfelt said. "She's been able to prevent, potentially, other children from becoming victims, and she's an amazing young woman." "It's hard," Kleinfelt said. "She's working through it. ... Her family's been incredible for her." A sheriff's office chaplain has also gone to the church to speak with members, Kleinfelt said. Pierre is being held on no bond in the Orange County Jail. Anyone with more information about the case can call Crimeline at 1-800-423-8477. glotan@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5774
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