Thou Shalt Do Hard Jail Time: Judge increases prison sentence for pastor who ‘groomed,’ impregnated teen

By Leigh Egan
Crime Online
May 01, 2017

http://www.crimeonline.com/2017/05/01/thou-shalt-do-hard-jail-time-judge-increases-prisons-for-pastor-who-groomed-impregnated-teen-girl/

After a Pennsylvania man pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a teenager and getting her pregnant, a judge shut down a two-year sentence jail term agreement and said that the punishment was “too low.”

People reports that Jacob Malone, 35, a married pastor of Exton, Pennsylvania, began sexually assaulting a 14-year-old teen in the fall of 2014 while he was acting as her guardian. According to Chester County Assistant District Attorney Emily Provencher, the sexual abuse lasted about a year. During the one-year time span, the suspect gave the victim alcohol and ended up getting her pregnant.

Malone was convicted of corruption of minors, institutional sex assault, and endangerment the welfare of children. Judge Jacqueline Cody sentenced Malone to three to six years in prison, followed by five months probation. After release, he’ll have to register as a sex offender for 15 years.

“This is one of the times when the court system fails. You are serving a sentence much lighter than the crime deserves,” Judge Cody said.

Malone met the victim when she was just 12 years old while visiting a church in Mesa, Arizona. Within a few years, Malone began making advances towards the child after a “grooming period” of a few years. In 2014, he moved to Chester County, Pennsylvania, and asked the teen to move in with him. Once she moved in, he began sexually assaulting her.

According to the victim, Malone raped her daily, although he didn’t use physical force. Provencher told People that Malone took advantage of a child who was completely dependent upon him.

“She was dependent on him for her basic necessities. Throughout the whole process, the victim has shown tremendous strength, courage, and maturity as she’s moving on with her life and raising her daughter.”

Malone is not allowed any contact with the victim he raped, nor the baby girl she had in 2016. Malone remains married and according to his attorney, the pair is “not going through any divorce proceedings.”